grade school

Meaning

Noun

• An elementary school or primary school

Origin

• In contrast to high schools, the subsequent secondary school type, classes of this kind of school do not have typical nicknames.
• In a grade school all classes are simply enumerated 1st to 8th grade (called form in British English).
• In a high school, on the other hand, school year groups are in everyday parlance referred to as freshman/sophomore/junior/senior year.