A school is a type of educational institution. The range of institutions covered by the term varies from country to country.
In the United Kingdom, the term school refers primarily to pre-university institutions, and these can for the most part be divided into primary schools (sometimes further divided into infant school and junior school) and secondary schools.
In the United States, the term school refers to any institute of education, at any level, and covers all of the following:
In parts of Europe, a gymnasium is a school of secondary education.
The King's School, in Canterbury in the south east of England, may be the oldest surviving school in the world.
In Japan, sho-gakkou (lit. small school), chu-gakkou (lit. middle school), kou-kou (lit. high school) mean elementary school, middle school and high school respectively.
See also: School and university in literature