Grade vs. Class — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Urooj Arif — Updated on April 16, 2024
Grade refers to levels of academic progress in schools, often numbered, whereas class refers to specific groupings of students taught together.
Difference Between Grade and Class
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Grade is commonly used in educational systems to indicate a student's level based on academic progress or age, typically following a numeric or letter system. Whereas, class refers to a specific grouping of students who are taught together in a school setting.
A grade is a broader categorization that can encompass many classes within the same level of schooling. For example, all the 10th grade students in a school, while a class is a specific set of students who share the same schedule or subject.
In grading systems, assessments and educational milestones determine a student's grade level advancement. On the other hand, a class might be defined not just by grade level but by other criteria such as subject matter or teaching style.
The concept of grade also extends beyond schooling into the evaluation of academic performance, where students are assigned grades based on their work. Conversely, class often specifically refers to the physical or logistical arrangement of students during their education.
Grades play a crucial role in tracking academic achievement and progression throughout a student's educational career, whereas classes are more about the daily educational experience and interaction among students and teachers.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Level in an education system based on age or achievement
Group of students taught together
Scope
Broad, can apply to an entire year group
Specific, applies to particular students
Basis of Formation
Age or achievement
Subject or teacher
Role in Education
Indicates progression
Facilitates learning environment
Usage in Assessment
Reflects academic performance
Does not directly impact grades
Compare with Definitions
Grade
A step or level in an incremental scale of values.
She achieved a grade of A on her exam.
Class
A series of meetings in which students are taught.
She teaches a biology class.
Grade
A level of academic progress in schools.
He just started the fifth grade.
Class
Social rank or status.
People from all classes attend the community college.
Grade
The process of arranging in a series or rank.
Students are graded according to their academic performance.
Class
A group of students attending a specific course or lesson.
The class was excited about the upcoming field trip.
Grade
The degree of inclination or slope.
The road has a steep grade uphill.
Class
To group or categorize by quality or characteristics.
Films are often classed by genre.
Grade
To assign a rank or score to something.
The teacher grades homework over the weekend.
Class
A category of people or things regarded as having particular shared characteristics.
That car belongs to a luxury class.
Grade
A particular level of rank, quality, proficiency, or value
High-grade steel
Sea salt is usually available in coarse or fine grades
Class
A set, collection, group, or configuration containing members regarded as having certain attributes or traits in common; a kind or category.
Grade
A mark indicating the quality of a student's work
I got good grades last semester
Class
A grade of mail
A package sent third class.
Grade
A gradient or slope
Just over the crest of a long seven per cent grade
Class
A quality of accommodation on public transport
Tourist class.
Grade
A variety of cattle produced by crossing with a superior breed
Grade stock
Class
A social stratum whose members share certain economic, social, or cultural characteristics
The lower-income classes.
Grade
Arrange in or allocate to grades; classify or sort
The timber is graded according to its thickness
Class
Social rank or caste, especially high rank.
Grade
Give a mark to (a student or a piece of work).
Class
(Informal)Elegance of style, taste, and manner
An actor with class.
Grade
Pass gradually from one level, especially a shade of colour, into another
The sky graded from blue at the top of the shot to white on the horizon
Class
A group of students who are taught together, usually at a regularly scheduled time and in the same subject.
Grade
Reduce (a road) to an easy gradient.
Class
The period during which such a group meets
Had to stay after class.
Grade
Cross (livestock) with a superior breed.
Class
The subject material taught to or studied by such a group
Found the math class challenging.
Grade
A stage or degree in a process.
Class
A group of students or alumni who have the same year of graduation.
Grade
A position in a scale of size, quality, or intensity
A poor grade of lumber.
Class
(Biology)A taxonomic category ranking below a phylum or division and above an order.
Grade
An accepted level or standard.
Class
(Statistics)An interval in a frequency distribution.
Grade
A set of persons or things all falling in the same specified limits; a class.
Class
(Linguistics)A group of words belonging to the same grammatical category that share a particular set of morphological properties, such as a set of inflections.
Grade
A level of academic development in an elementary, middle, or secondary school
Learned fractions in the fourth grade.
Class
(Mathematics)A collection of sets whose members share a specified property.
Grade
A group of students at such a level
The third grade has recess at 10:30.
Class
To arrange, group, or rate according to qualities or characteristics; assign to a class; classify.
Grade
Grades Elementary school.
Class
(countable) A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.
The new Ford Fiesta is set to be best in the 'small family' class.
That is one class-A heifer you got there, sonny.
Often used to imply membership of a large class.
This word has a whole class of metaphoric extensions.
Grade
A number, letter, or symbol indicating a student's level of accomplishment
A passing grade in history.
Class
A social grouping, based on job, wealth, etc. In Britain, society is commonly split into three main classes: upper class, middle class and working class.
Grade
A military, naval, or civil service rank.
Class
(uncountable) The division of society into classes.
Jane Austen's works deal with class in 18th-century England.
Grade
The degree of inclination of a slope, road, or other surface
The steep grade of the mountain road.
Class
(uncountable) Admirable behavior; elegance.
Apologizing for losing your temper, even though you were badly provoked, showed real class.
Grade
A slope or gradual inclination, especially of a road or railroad track
Slowed the truck when he approached the grade.
Class
A group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher.
The class was noisy, but the teacher was able to get their attention with a story.
Grade
The level at which the ground surface meets the foundation of a building.
Class
A series of lessons covering a single subject.
I took the cooking class for enjoyment, but I also learned a lot.
Grade
A domestic animal produced by crossbreeding one of purebred stock with one of ordinary stock.
Class
(countable) A group of students who commenced or completed their education during a particular year. A school class.
The class of 1982 was particularly noteworthy.
Grade
(Linguistics) A degree of ablaut.
Class
(countable) A category of seats in an airplane, train or other means of mass transportation.
I used to fly business class, but now my company can only afford economy.
Grade
To arrange in grades; sort or classify
How is motor oil graded?.
Class
A rank in the classification of organisms, below phylum and above order; a taxon of that rank.
Magnolias belong to the class Magnoliopsida.
Grade
To determine the quality of (academic work, for example); evaluate
Graded the book reports.
Class
Best of its kind.
It is the class of Italian bottled waters.
Grade
To give a grade to (a student, for example).
Class
(statistics) A grouping of data values in an interval, often used for computation of a frequency distribution.
Grade
To level or smooth to a desired or horizontal gradient
Bulldozers graded the road.
Class
(set theory) A collection of sets definable by a shared property.
The class of all sets is not a set.
Every set is a class, but classes are not generally sets. A class that is not a set is called a proper class.
Grade
To gradate.
Class
(military) A group of people subject to be conscripted in the same military draft, or more narrowly those persons actually conscripted in a particular draft.
Grade
To improve the quality of (livestock) by crossbreeding with purebred stock.
Class
A set of objects having the same behavior (but typically differing in state), or a template defining such a set in terms of its common properties, functions, etc.
An abstract base class
Grade
To change or progress gradually
Piles of gravel that grade from coarse to fine.
Class
One of the sections into which a Methodist church or congregation is divided, supervised by a class leader.
Grade
A rating.
This fine-grade coin from 1837 is worth a good amount.
I gave him a good grade for effort.
Class
(transitive) To assign to a class; to classify.
I would class this with most of the other mediocre works of the period.
Grade
Performance on a test or other evaluation(s), expressed by a number, letter, or other symbol; a score.
He got a good grade on the test.
You need a grade of at least 80% in first-year calculus to be admitted to the CS major program.
Class
(intransitive) To be grouped or classed.
Grade
A degree or level of something; a position within a scale; a degree of quality.
Class
(transitive) To divide into classes, as students; to form into, or place in, a class or classes.
Grade
(linguistics) Degree (any of the three stages (positive, comparative, superlative) in the comparison of an adjective or an adverb).
Class
Great; fabulous
Grade
A slope (up or down) of a roadway or other passage
The grade of this hill is more than 5 percent.
Class
A group of individuals ranked together as possessing common characteristics; as, the different classes of society; the educated class; the lower classes.
Grade
A level of primary and secondary education.
Clancy is entering the fifth grade this year.
Clancy starts grade five this year.
Class
A number of students in a school or college, of the same standing, or pursuing the same studies.
Grade
A student of a particular grade (used with the grade level).
The grade fives are on a field trip.
Class
A comprehensive division of animate or inanimate objects, grouped together on account of their common characteristics, in any classification in natural science, and subdivided into orders, families, tribes, genera, etc.
Grade
An area that has been flattened by a grader (construction machine).
Class
A set; a kind or description, species or variety.
She had lost one class energies.
Grade
The level of the ground.
This material absorbs moisture and is probably not a good choice for use below grade.
Class
One of the sections into which a church or congregation is divided, and which is under the supervision of a class leader.
Grade
(mathematics) A gradian.
Class
One session of formal instruction in which one or more teachers instruct a group on some subject. The class may be one of a course of classes, or a single special session.
Grade
(geometry) In a linear system of divisors on an n-dimensional variety, the number of free intersection points of n generic divisors.
Class
A high degree of elegance, in dress or behavior; the quality of bearing oneself with dignity, grace, and social adeptness.
Grade
A harsh scraping or cutting; a grating.
Class
To arrange in classes; to classify or refer to some class; as, to class words or passages.
Grade
(systematics) A taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity that is not a clade.
Class
To divide into classes, as students; to form into, or place in, a class or classes.
Grade
(medicine) The degree of malignity of a tumor expressed on a scale.
Class
To be grouped or classed.
The genus or family under which it classes.
Grade
An eyeglass prescription.
Class
Exhibiting refinement and high character; as, a class act. Opposite of low-class
Grade
To assign scores to the components of an academic test, or to overall academic performance.
Class
People having the same social or economic status;
The working class
An emerging professional class
Grade
To organize in grades.
Class
A body of students who are taught together;
Early morning classes are always sleepy
Grade
To flatten, level, or smooth a large surface, especially with a grader.
To grade land before building on it
Class
Education imparted in a series of lessons or class meetings;
He took a course in basket weaving
Flirting is not unknown in college classes
Grade
(sewing) To remove or trim part of a seam allowance from a finished seam so as to reduce bulk and make the finished piece more even when turned right side out.
Class
A collection of things sharing a common attribute;
There are two classes of detergents
Grade
To apply classifying labels to data (typically by a manual rather than automatic process).
Brain scans were graded on a five-point scale of atrophy.
Class
A body of students who graduate together;
The class of '97
She was in my year at Hoehandle High
Grade
(linguistics) To describe, modify or inflect so as to classify as to degree.
Class
A league ranked by quality;
He played baseball in class D for two years
Princeton is in the NCAA Division 1-AA
Grade
(intransitive) To pass imperceptibly from one grade into another.
Class
Elegance in dress or behavior;
She has a lot of class
Grade
To pass from one school grade into the next.
I graded out of grade two and three and arrived in Miss Hanson's room.
Class
(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more orders
Grade
A step or degree in any series, rank, quality, order; relative position or standing; as, grades of military rank; crimes of every grade; grades of flour.
They also appointed and removed, at their own pleasure,teachers of every grade.
Class
Arrange or order by classes or categories;
How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?
Grade
The rate of ascent or descent; gradient; deviation from a level surface to an inclined plane; - usually stated as so many feet per mile, or as one foot rise or fall in so many of horizontal distance; as, a heavy grade; a grade of twenty feet per mile, or of 1 in 264.
Grade
To arrange in order, steps, or degrees, according to size, quality, rank, etc.
Grade
To reduce to a level, or to an evenly progressive ascent, as the line of a canal or road.
Grade
A body of students who are taught together;
Early morning classes are always sleepy
Grade
A relative position or degree of value in a graded group;
Lumber of the highest grade
Grade
The gradient of a slope or road or other surface;
The road had a steep grade
Grade
One-hundredth of a right angle
Grade
A degree of ablaut
Grade
A number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance);
She made good marks in algebra
Grade A milk
What was your score on your homework?
Grade
The height of the ground on which something stands;
The base of the tower was below grade
Grade
A position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality;
A moderate degree of intelligence
A high level of care is required
It is all a matter of degree
Grade
A variety of cattle produced by crossbreeding with a superior breed
Grade
Assign a rank or rating to;
How would you rank these students?
The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide
Grade
Level to the right gradient
Grade
Assign a grade or rank to, according to one's evaluation;
Grade tests
Score the SAT essays
Mark homework
Grade
Determine the grade of or assign a grade to
Common Curiosities
How do teachers decide what grade level their class will be?
Teachers usually don’t decide the grade level; it's typically determined by the school based on age, academic progress, or specific educational standards.
What role do classes play in a student's social development?
Classes provide a social environment where students can interact, collaborate, and form relationships, which are crucial for social development.
How do grades affect a student's educational opportunities?
Grades can influence a student’s eligibility for advanced programs, college admissions, and scholarships.
How does the concept of 'class' differ in online vs. traditional education?
In online education, 'class' may refer more to a course structure or module rather than a physical grouping of students.
Can students skip grades if they excel in class?
Yes, exceptionally performing students can sometimes skip grades to match their academic abilities with more challenging material.
Are all students in the same grade at the same academic level?
Not necessarily; students in the same grade can have varying levels of academic ability and knowledge.
What impact does grade retention have on a student?
Grade retention can affect a student's self-esteem and social relationships, although it may be beneficial academically in some cases.
Can the term 'class' refer to anything other than a group of students?
Yes, 'class' can also refer to social classes, categories in competitions, and classifications in biology.
Is there a universal grading system used worldwide?
No, grading systems vary widely by country, educational institution, and sometimes even within schools.
How do schools determine the composition of a class?
Schools consider factors like student numbers, academic levels, special needs, and sometimes parent or student preferences.
What is the importance of class size in education?
Class size can affect the quality of education, with smaller classes often allowing for more individual attention and better management.
Can a class consist of students from different grades?
Yes, especially in cases like elective courses or special programs that are not restricted by grade level.
How are grades communicated to students and parents?
Grades are typically communicated through report cards, parent-teacher meetings, and online educational portals.
What is a split class?
A split class consists of students from two different grades taught together, often due to logistical reasons like small school size.
How does a teacher manage different learning speeds within the same class?
Teachers use differentiated instruction strategies, tailoring lessons to accommodate varying learning speeds and styles within the same class.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
