A
primary school, or
elementary school, is a school in which children receive primary or
elementary
education between 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 a fee-paying independent school.
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 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
- Elementary school is preferred in some countries, especially in North America.
The term
grade school is sometimes used. The terms
first school or
infant school may also used 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
