Editing Primary school (section)

===Primary schools===
[[File:St Pats Primary school 2021 b.jpg|thumb|St Patrick's School at [[Murrumbeena, Victoria]], Australia: one of many religious primary schools in the world.]]
[[File:Orbe - Chantemerle - salle de classe 1.jpg|thumb|A 2015 classroom for 6–7-year olds in Switzerland]]
[[File:Grundschule Haus St Marien Neumarkt - Klassenzimmer 06.JPG|thumb|School rooms/classrooms of the private Catholic elementary school  in [[Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz]]]]
In most parts of the world, primary education is the first stage of [[compulsory education]], and is normally available without charge, but may also be offered by fee-paying [[independent school]]s. The term '''grade school''' is sometimes used in the US, although both this term and '''elementary school''' may refer to the first eight grades, in other words both [[primary education]] and lower [[secondary education]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grade+school|title=Definition of GRADE SCHOOL|website=Merriam-Webster|date=9 April 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elementary+school|title=Definition of ELEMENTARY SCHOOL|website=Merriam-Webster|date=5 April 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?id=E5086600 |title=American Heritage Dictionary Entry |publisher=Ahdictionary.com |date= |accessdate=2022-02-12}}</ref>

The term ''primary school'' is derived from the French ''école primaire'', which was first used in an English text in 1802.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=primary|title=Online Etymology Dictionary|access-date=9 November 2007|archive-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702192406/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=primary|url-status=live}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, "elementary education" was taught in "elementary schools" until 1944, when free elementary education was proposed for students over 11: there were to be primary elementary schools and secondary elementary schools;{{efn|'''Secondary elementary school''': A term already used by [[London County Council]] from 1921 to describe some 11–14 schools,<ref>{{cite web |title=Hadow Report (1926) |url=http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/hadow1926/hadow1926.html |publisher=educationengland.org.uk |access-date=17 April 2019 |archive-date=25 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625221806/http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/hadow1926/hadow1926.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and term still in use in Florida, Ohio and Brazil.}} these became known as primary schools and secondary schools.

* ''Primary school'' is the preferred term in the United Kingdom, Ireland and many [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth nations]], and in most publications of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ([[UNESCO]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://academic.eb.com/|title=Britannica Academic|website=academic.eb.com|access-date=2019-11-01|archive-date=14 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314153937/https://academic.eb.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Elementary school'' is still preferred in some countries, especially in the United States and Canada.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}

In some parts of the United States, "primary school" refers to a school covering [[kindergarten]] through to second grade or third grade (K through 2 or 3); the "elementary school" includes grade three through five or grades four to six.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} In Canada, "elementary school" almost everywhere refers to Grades 1 through 6; with Kindergarten being referred to as "preschool."{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

*  In South Africa, primary school starts from Grade R (age 5–6) till Grade 7 (age 12–13). It typically comes after [[preschool]] and before [[secondary school]].