Go school vs Go to school

Which one is correct?

“Go school” or “go to school”?

The answer might surprise you.

If you want to learn more, read on.

children at school

Go school

What I am about to say will shock you.

“Go school” is possible in English.

I am not saying you should start saying it from now on.

Nor am I saying it is good English.

Just bear with me as I explain.

Sometimes children will say “go school” instead of “go to school”.

Admittedly, this is only true of very young children.

This is similar to how children sometimes say “go toilet” rather than “go to the toilet”.

However, this is not where the story ends.

“Go place” is sometimes used by adults in informal, colloquial speech.

It seems to be a feature in all varieties of English – British, American, etc.

But I cannot say much more than that.

Most speakers do not say it like that, ever.

(I certainly do not)

But there are some that do.

Whether you want to adopt this slang expression or not is entirely up to you.

I do not encourage it. Especially if you do not live in an area where this slang is commonly used.

Now, let’s quickly talk about the correct, standard English.

Grammatically speaking, “go school” is incorrect.

This is because when we move or travel towards a particular place, we often say that we go to that place.

(The only exception to that rule is “go home“.)

Here are some examples.

This is why you should say “go to school” rather than “go school“.