outside of school hours

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "outside of school hours" is correct and is commonly used in written English.
Example: Outside of school hours, I enjoy playing sports with friends.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The School is investigating an incident that occurred off campus and outside of school hours, and will take the necessary and appropriate steps.

Huffington Post

When schools are in session, any employment under a waiver shall be confined to outside of school hours.

Cornell University

Federal age requirements for farm work: Minors under age 12 may perform jobs on farms owned or operated by parent(s) outside of school hours in nonhazardous jobs, minors 12 and 13 may perform farm work outside of school hours with parent's consent, minors 14 and 15 may perform farm work outside of school hours, and minors 16 and older may perform any job for unlimited hours.

Cornell University

It's hard to see why this is any of their business, yet some schools will no doubt punish a student even for actions taken off school premises and outside of school hours.

The New York Times - Magazine

Carver et al. investigated associations between parental restrictions on outdoor physical activity and 10 11-year-old 10 11-year-old 10 11-year-olded weekday (outside of schildrenurs) and weekend physical activity.

European Journal of Public Health

"Outside of school hours, because there's not very good service at my school," the student replied.

The New York Times

The work would be outside of school hours and during weekends.

The Guardian

Her statement clarified that the recent incident reported to police occurred outside of school hours.

The Guardian

Like Dr. Walker, he said he would provide religious instruction outside of school hours.

The New York Times

Expect to spend a lot of time working outside of school hours, but you must learn when to stop.

The Guardian

There are also opportunities to invite community groups to make use of the trampolines outside of school hours.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider the audience when using this phrase. While widely understood, simpler alternatives like "after school" might be more appropriate for younger audiences or less formal contexts.

Common error

Avoid assuming "outside of school hours" always implies a safe or supervised environment. Clearly indicate if activities are supervised or have specific guidelines to avoid potential misunderstandings.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "outside of school hours" primarily functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying verbs or clauses to indicate when an action takes place. Ludwig confirms its common usage, with many examples showing it specifying timing.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

28%

Science

18%

Less common in

Formal & Business

4%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "outside of school hours" is a very common adverbial phrase used to specify the timing of activities or events that occur when school is not in session. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and provides numerous examples across various contexts. The phrase sees frequent use in news media, academic writing, and scientific reports, as well as formal documents. While widely understood, simpler alternatives like "after school" can be used in less formal settings. A key best practice is to ensure clarity about whether activities during this time are supervised. Overall, "outside of school hours" is a versatile and reliable phrase for specifying when an event takes place relative to the school day.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

after school

A shorter, more direct way of indicating time following the end of the school day.

post-school time

Emphasizes the time frame occurring after the school day has concluded.

after the school day

More explicit about the time period in question.

during non-school time

Focuses on the time when school is not in session.

in students' free time

Highlights the students' perspective and their discretionary time.

during extracurricular time

Specifies activities that are not part of the regular curriculum.

beyond the school bell

A more figurative way to express the time after school.

outside of term time

Refers to periods when school is not in session due to holidays or breaks.

after classes

Focuses specifically on time after scheduled classes.

out-of-school activities

Emphasizes activities performed by students outside of the formal school day.

FAQs

How can I use "outside of school hours" in a sentence?

You can use "outside of school hours" to describe activities, employment, or events that occur when school is not in session. For example, "The community center offers tutoring programs "after school"" or "Many students work "during non-school time" to earn extra money."

What are some alternatives to saying "outside of school hours"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like ""after school"", ""during non-school time"", or "in students' free time".

Is it correct to say "out of school hours" instead of "outside of school hours"?

While "out of school hours" might be understood, "outside of school hours" is the more common and grammatically preferred phrasing. It is especially common in formal contexts. "Out of school" generally refers to being absent from school, not necessarily activities occurring after school.

What kind of activities are typically done "outside of school hours"?

"Outside of school hours" can include a wide range of activities, such as extracurriculars, sports, part-time jobs, volunteering, tutoring, or simply spending time with family and friends. It refers to any activity that doesn't occur during the regular school day.