A
class in
educationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
has a variety of related meanings.
It can be the group of students which attends a specific
courseIn U.S. education, a course is a unit of teaching that typically lasts one academic term, is led by one or more instructors , has a fixed roster of students, and gives each student a grade and academic credit....
or
lessonA lesson is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students being taught by a teacher or instructor...
at a
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
,
schoolA school , is an institution designed to allow and encourage students to learn, under the supervision of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
or other
educationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
al institution.
It can refer to a
courseIn U.S. education, a course is a unit of teaching that typically lasts one academic term, is led by one or more instructors , has a fixed roster of students, and gives each student a grade and academic credit....
itself: a class in Shakespearean drama.
It can be the group of students at the same level in an institution: the freshman class; or the group of students which graduates from the institution at the same time: the class of 2005 (
cf. alumnus/a).
It can also refer the
classroomA classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
, the building or venue where such a lesson is conducted.
In some countries' educational systems (such as
TaiwanTaiwan , also known as Formosa , is the largest island of the Republic of China in East Asia. Taiwan is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeastern coast of mainland China...
's), it can refer to a subdivision of the students in an academic department, consisting of a cohort of students of the same academic level. For example, a department's sophomores may be divided into three classes.
In countries such as the
Republic of IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and in the past also
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
the word can mean a grade: 1st class is ages 4 and 5, 2nd class is ages 6 and 7, 3rd class is ages 8 and 9, 4th class is ages 9 and 10, 5th class is ages 10 and 11, 6th class is ages 11 and 12.