An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar school are also used. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom, India, Ireland, Pakistan,Bangladesh, Australia, Latin America, South Africa, New Zealand, Malaysia and in most publications of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization