A class in education has a variety of related meanings.
It can be the group of students which attends a specific course or lesson at a university, school, or other educational institution.
It can refer to a course itself, for example, a class in Shakespearean drama.
It can be the group of students at the same level in an institution: the freshman class; or the group of students which graduates from the institution at the same time: the Class of 2005. The term can be used in a slightly more general context, such as "the graduating class."
It can also refer to the classroom, in the building or venue where such a lesson is conducted.
In some countries' educational systems (such as Taiwan's), it can refer to a subdivision of the students in an academic department, consisting of a cohort of students of the same academic level. For example, a department's sophomores may be divided into three classes.
In countries such as the Republic of Ireland, India, Germany, Russia, and in the past, Sweden, the word can mean a grade: 1st class is ages 4-5, 2nd class is ages 6-7, 3rd class is ages 8-9, 4th class is ages 9-10, 5th class is ages 10-11, 6th class is ages 11-12, and 9th class is ages 14-15, class 10 is ages 15-16 and class 12th is ages 17-18.