A primary school or elementary school is a school in which children receive primary or elementary education from the ages of about five to eleven, coming before secondary school and after preschool. It is the first stage of compulsory education in most parts of the world, and is normally available without charge, but may be offered in a fee-paying independent school. The term grade school is sometimes used in the US though this term may refer to both primary education and secondary education.
The term primary school is derived from the French école primaire, which was first used in 1802.
- Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- Elementary school is preferred in some countries, especially in North America.
In the United States, "primary school" may refer to a school with grades Kindergarten through second grade (K-2). In these municipalities, the "elementary school" includes grade three through five. The terms first school or infant school may also be used in North America though these, strictly speaking, refer to different educational programs.
In some places, primary schooling has historically further been divided between lower primary schools (LP schools), which were the elementary schools, and higher primary schools (HP schools), which were established to provide a more practical instruction to poorer classes than what was provided in the secondary schools.
See also
- Blab school
- Early childhood education
- Elementary school
- Elementary school (United States)
- Elementary school (England and Wales)
- Elementary schools in Japan
- Educational stage
- Secondary school
References
External links
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (United States)
- Elementary Schools with Education and Crime Statistics (United States)
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