Etymology: translation of French école normale; from the fact that the first French school so named was intended to serve as a model Date: 1839 ~ a usually 2-year school for training chiefly elementary teachers

a two-year school for training elementary teachers

a specialized senior high school that trains its students to be primary school teachers upon graduation, nor further degree being required

a technical school, ranking in character with schools of medicine, engineering, law, and trade-learning

An educational institution for training teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name. The term normal school is now archaic in all but a few countries. In New Zealand, for example, normal schools are affiliated with Teachers colleges. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, normal schools in the United States and Canada trained primary school teachers, while in Europe, normal schools educated primary, secondary and tertiary-level teachers.

A normal school or teachers college is an educational institution for training teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name. The term normal school is now archaic in all but a few countries.