Inklingo
Dictionary

escuela

es-KWEH-lahesˈkwela

“escuela” means “school” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:

schoolA1Noun

A place for children's education, like elementary or high school.

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schoolB1Noun

A specific department or faculty within a university.

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schoolB2Noun

A group of people sharing a style or set of ideas.

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schoolAlso: elementary school

NounfA1
SpainLatin America
A bright, friendly yellow school building with a red roof, featuring a flagpole and a playground area, surrounded by green grass.

📝 In Action

Los niños van a la escuela en autobús.

A1

The children go to school by bus.

Mi hermana es maestra en una escuela primaria.

A2

My sister is a teacher at a primary school.

Después de la escuela, voy a jugar al fútbol.

A1

After school, I'm going to play soccer.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • ir a la escuela – to go to school
  • material escolar – school supplies
  • director/a de escuela – school principal

Idioms & Expressions

  • la escuela de la vida – Learning from real-world experiences, not just books.

schoolAlso: college, academy

NounfB1
A detailed wooden easel holding a blank canvas, surrounded by colorful paint tubes, brushes, and a palette, set inside a grand, classical building interior.

📝 In Action

Mi hermano se graduó de la escuela de derecho.

B1

My brother graduated from law school.

Ella quiere estudiar en una famosa escuela de arte en París.

B2

She wants to study at a famous art school in Paris.

La escuela de negocios tiene un programa nuevo.

B1

The business school has a new program.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • escuela de medicina – medical school
  • escuela de idiomas – language school
  • escuela de hostelería – hospitality/culinary school

schoolAlso: school of thought, movement

NounfB2formal
Three stylized portraits of different people, all rendered using the exact same distinctive, thick, geometric brushstrokes and a muted color palette, illustrating a shared artistic style or school of thought.

📝 In Action

Este pintor pertenece a la escuela holandesa del siglo XVII.

B2

This painter belongs to the 17th-century Dutch school.

La escuela de Frankfurt tuvo un gran impacto en la teoría social.

C1

The Frankfurt School had a great impact on social theory.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • escuela de pensamiento – school of thought
  • escuela filosófica – philosophical school
  • escuela artística – artistic school

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Often confused with colegionear-synonyms

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "escuela" in Spanish:

academycollegeelementary schoolmovementschool

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: escuela

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'escuela' to mean a university department?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
escolar(school (as an adjective)) — Adjective
escolaridad(schooling, education) — Noun
preescolar(preschool) — Noun / Adjective
🎵 Rhymes
abuelacazuelavuela
📚 Etymology

Comes from the Latin word 'schola', which itself came from the Greek word 'skholḗ'. Interestingly, the original Greek word meant 'leisure, spare time', because learning and philosophy were activities for those who had free time.

First recorded: Around the 10th century.

Cognates (Related words)

English: schoolFrench: écoleItalian: scuola

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the real difference between 'escuela' and 'colegio'?

It's tricky because it changes by country! As a general rule, 'escuela' often refers to primary/elementary school. 'Colegio' can mean a high school, a private school of any level, or even a professional association (like for doctors or lawyers). In Spain, 'instituto' is the common word for a public high school. If you're not sure, using 'escuela' for a general 'school' is usually understood.