associate’s degree

a degree granted by junior colleges after completion of two years of study

He received his associate’s degree from New Paltz College.

le BTS

bachelor’s degree

a degree awarded by a college or university to a person who has completed undergraduate studies

She had already received her bachelor’s degree in communication.

la licence

boarding school

a school at which the pupils receive board and lodging during the school term

I left home when I was 12 to go to boarding school.

le pensionnat

charter school

an autonomous public school created by a contract between a sponsor and an organizer, often with a curriculum that is not traditional

Charter schools receive public money but are free from most state regulation.

l’école privée sous contrat

college

an institution of higher learning

His wife was a 21-year-old college student.

l’université

community college

a nonresidential junior college established to serve a specific community and typically supported in part by local government funds

Those are jobs for high school and community college graduates.

le collège communautaire

curriculum

the aggregate of courses of study given in a school, college, university, etc.

Computer literacy has yet to join the classics in the curriculum.

le programme

doctorate

any of several academic degrees of the highest rank

He began working toward a doctorate in political science.

le doctorat

elementary school

the lowest school giving formal instruction, extending usually from six to eight years

The town has already outgrown an elementary school built in 1995.

l’école primaire

graduate

to receive a degree or diploma on completing a course of study

Clemons graduated from his high school in Houston.

obtenir une licence

high school

a school attended after elementary school or junior high school and usually consisting of grades 9 or 10 through 12

She has a job teaching in a Roman Catholic high school.

le lycée

illiterate

unable to read and write

I really feel like I’m illiterate in math.

analphabète

Ivy League

a group of colleges and universities in the northeastern U.S. having a reputation for high scholastic achievement and social prestige

No Ivy League team had stayed within 10 points of Princeton.

l’Ivy League

junior high school

a school attended after elementary school and usually consisting of grades seven through nine

Officials at the junior high school could not be reached for comment.

le collège

kindergarten

a school or class for young children between the ages of four and six years

After kindergarten, the public schools wouldn’t take him.

l’école maternelle

master’s degree

a degree awarded by a graduate school or department, usually to a person who has completed at least one year of graduate study

He plans to continue on to get a master’s degree after his bachelor’s.

le master

middle school

a school intermediate between elementary school and high school, usually grades five or six through eight

The middle schools will be run by the Board of Education.

le collège

nursery school

a prekindergarten school for children from about three to five years of age

Nursery schools remained open so parents could go to work.

l’école maternelle

parochial school

a primary or secondary private school supervised by a religious organization

Existing private and parochial schools would not be eligible for the program.

l’école religieuse

prerequisite

something required beforehand

This course has two prerequisites which I have not satisfied yet.

le prérequis

primary school

a school usually covering the first three or four years of elementary school and sometimes kindergarten

Hire 100,000 new teachers to reduce class sizes in primary schools.

l’école primaire

private school

a school founded and maintained by a private group rather than by the government, usually charging tuition

Many high school students from that town now attend private schools.

l’école privée

public school

a school that is maintained at public expense for the education of the children of a community or district

Only public school students will be required to take the exams.

l’école public

salutatorian

the student ranking second highest in the graduating class

He was the salutatorian of his high school class of 25 students.

la deuxième de promotion

scholarship

a sum of money or other aid granted to a student because of merit, need, etc., to pursue his or her studies

His sister attended the university on another scholarship for minorities.

la bourse

school

an institution where instruction is given

In school I always had to study a lot for tests.

l’école

secondary school

a high school or a school of corresponding grade, ranking between a primary school and a college or university

The classes were in a secondary school near the central police station.

l’établissement d’enseignement secondaire

semester

a division constituting half of the regular academic year, lasting typically from 15 to 18 weeks

I sent my daughter to school down there for a semester.

le semestre

trade school

a high school giving instruction chiefly in the skilled trades

James had come out of trade school with a skill in masonry.

le collège technique

tuition

the charge or fee for instruction, as at a private school or college

We decided to take care of her tuition at school.

les frais de scolarité

university

an institution of learning of the highest level consisting of several schools

University officials need to set policy and guidelines on alcohol abuse.

l’université

valedictorian

the student ranking the highest academically in a school’s graduating class

The valedictorian is headed to Stanford, the salutatorian to Harvard.

le major de la promotion