School sign: what it means

School warning sign: a fluorescent yellow-green five-sided sign shaped like a house, with two black children walking
Drawing: DriveQuiz, based on MUTCD sign S1-1. Simplified; real signs follow the FHWA Standard Highway Signs specifications.

The five-sided School sign warns that you are near a school area, a school zone or a crossing used by schoolchildren. Slow down and watch for children.

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Last checked against the sources: · Report a mistake

What it means

MUTCD Section 7B.02: the School sign has four uses: to warn of a school area, to mark the start of a designated school zone, with an AHEAD or distance plaque to warn of a school crossing ahead, and with a downward-pointing arrow plaque at the crossing itself.

School signs are fluorescent yellow-green (Section 2C.02), and the upward-pointing pentagon is reserved for the School sign and county route markers (Section 2A.05). Some states and local areas set up school zones with their own speed limits, higher fines or special enforcement (Section 7B.02), so watch for the signs that go with it.

Where you see it

Near schools, at the start of school zones and at crossings used by schoolchildren.

A common mistake

Thinking school zones only matter at the start and end of the school day. Check any posted times, and watch for children whenever you see the sign.

Quick quiz

What shape is the School sign?

  1. A pentagon, with five sides
  2. An octagon
  3. A circle
Show answer

A. A pentagon, with five sides. Section 2A.05: the upward-pointing pentagon is used for the School (S1-1) sign. Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 7, Traffic Control for School Areas: Section 7B.02, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Section 2C.02, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2A, General (signs): Section 2A.05, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA

Compare with

Next in warning signs: No passing zone sign. See all warning signs or the full road signs list.

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Sources

  1. MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 7, Traffic Control for School Areas: Section 7B.02, FHWA
  2. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Section 2C.02, FHWA
  3. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2A, General (signs): Section 2A.05, FHWA
  4. MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025

Sign pictures are our own simplified drawings of the MUTCD designs, which are in the public domain (MUTCD Section 1D.06). Sources and image credits.