preparatory school
noun
1
: a usually private school preparing students primarily for college
2
British
: a private elementary school preparing students primarily for British public schools
Examples of preparatory school in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Founded in 2007, Pacific Ridge School serves over 650 students as an independent, nonprofit, college preparatory school for grades six through 12.
—
News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Dec. 2025
Located in Lisle, Illinois, Benet Academy is a private Catholic college preparatory school that competes in the East Suburban Catholic Conference.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Jesuit was founded in 1963 as the capital region’s only all-boys Catholic college preparatory school and has a student body of 953 as of the current school year, according to its website.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2025
According to multiple sources, including a letter from the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida and a statement from The Webb School, a college preparatory school in Tennessee, the Hardin family’s home in Hunt, Texas, was washed away by floodwaters while the family was inside.
—Miami Herald, 11 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Preparatory school.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preparatory%20school. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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