At school vs In school

Which one is correct? “At school” or “In school”?

The answer is that both are correct and mean exactly the same thing.

To learn more, read on.

 

 

At school vs In school

There is no difference in meaning between the two. You can use either one and you will always be correct.

“At school” is more common in British English, but in other varieties, like American English, “in school” seems to be used more.

At the end of the day, they are both correct and used everyday by people all over the world.

You can use whichever you like and not worry about sounding wrong. The only difference is in register.

The same rule applies to other types of schools, for example, preschools, colleges, universities, etc.

 

Meaning #1: Inside a building

When you are inside a school building, you can say that you are “at school” or “in school“.

You can only say that if you are a student at that school.

If you are not a student, you will need to use an article and say “at a/the school” or “in a/the school“.

We do not use “a” or “the” when we are in a school building as a student.

My children are at school until 3:45pm. My children are in school until 3:45pm.

I can relax while my children are at school. I can relax while my children are in school.

Casandra has flu and is not at school today. Casandra has flu and is not in school today.

When we talk about being inside a school building in UK English, “in school” is less common, but still possible.

 

Meaning #2: Attending a school

When you are a student, you regularly attend a school.

It could range from a few to five days a week.

In fact, some people only attend school once a week, for example, adults taking evening classes.

Either way, when someone regularly attends a particular school or takes a course, we often say that they are “at school” or “in school“.

We do not often say that someone “is a student”. We would instead say that they are “at/in school“.

(We could also say that they “go to school“, but that is out of scope of this article.)

We do not use “a” or “the” when talking about students attending a school.

Her two daughters are at school, and her son is at preschool. Her two daughters are in school, and her son is in preschool.

What do you do in your free time at college? What do you do in your free time in college?

She decided not to live at university to save money. She decided not to live in university to save money.

When we talk about being a student in UK English, “in school” is even less common than previously.

Although “in school” is possible, my advice to you is to say “at school” instead.

 

Summary

• “At school” is used to say that someone is a student at a school, or that they are inside the school building as a student,
• “In school” has exactly the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.