Schola

Schola is a Latin noun meaning school, derived from the Greek skholē, originally denoting leisure or free time devoted to study and discussion, and later a place or institution of learning. In Latin use, schola could refer to a classroom, a school as an institution, or a group of students gathered for instruction under a teacher. The word gave rise to numerous educational terms in the Romance languages and to the English word school, as well as to scholar and scholarship.

Historically, schola was applied to both secular and ecclesiastical education in antiquity and the Middle Ages. It signified formal institutions as well as the broader concept of organized study, and it could denote the community of learners associated with a given teacher or curriculum, rather than merely a physical building.

Ecclesiastical usage became especially prominent. The term schola cantorum, literally “school of singers,” identified cathedral or collegiate choirs and their training programs. In monasteries and churches, a schola often referred to a liturgical choir and, at times, a formal school for singers, liturgists, and musicians. The phrase remains a common historical designation for choir schools and related institutions in Catholic and other Christian contexts.

Today the word appears mainly in historical or ceremonial contexts and in proper names, such as institutions named Schola Cantorum. Its linguistic descendants—school, scholar, scholarship—reflect the enduring influence of schola on education and intellectual life.