What does the School sign mean?
The School sign (MUTCD S1-1) is a school zone sign under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the national standard the states build from. It warns that a school, school zone or school crossing is at or near this point.
Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 7, Table 7B-1, checked 2026-09-09.
What shape and color is the School sign?
| MUTCD code | S1-1 |
|---|---|
| Group | School zone signs |
| Shape | Pentagon with the point up |
| Color | Fluorescent yellow-green background, black legend and border |
What a pentagon, point up means. School zone or school crossing. Shape and color are both unique to this group.
What fluorescent yellow-green means. Pedestrian, bicycle and school warnings. Reserved so those warnings cannot be mistaken for an ordinary hazard.
School zone signs. A pentagon means school and nothing else, so the outline alone answers the question. Fluorescent yellow-green is weaker evidence, because pedestrian and bicycle signs are allowed the same color, and that asymmetry is where the marks go.
What is the School sign often mistaken for?
The pedestrian warning sign (W11-2), which is a diamond. S1-1 is the only pentagon-shaped sign in normal use, and MUTCD 11th Edition Section 7B.01 paragraph 05 makes fluorescent yellow-green mandatory for school warning signs, whereas it is optional for pedestrian and bicycle signs. Note the old S2-1 School Crossing sign no longer exists: under Section 7B.02 the S1-1 sign does all four jobs depending on the plaque under it.
|  |
|---|---|
| GroupSchool zone signs | GroupWarning signs |
| ShapePentagon with the point up | ShapeDiamond |
| ColorFluorescent yellow-green background, black legend and border | ColorYellow or fluorescent yellow-green background, black symbol and border |
| What it meansWarns that a school, school zone or school crossing is at or near this point. | What it meansExpect pedestrians in the roadway at or close to this point, with no signal anywhere to hold you for them. |
Which signs get mistaken for the School sign?
PlaygroundW15-1The School sign (S1-1), which is a pentagon. Playground is a diamond and carries no automatic speed limit change.
What does the permit test ask about the School sign?
These 2 questions are from the practice bank, with the answer marked.
This shape and color are reserved for one situation. It marks:
- A.A hospital zone
- B.A school zone or school crossing(correct answer)
- C.A playground
- D.A residential speed zone
Source: MUTCD S1-1
A five-sided sign shaped like a house pointing upward indicates:
- A.A hospital
- B.A school zone or school crossing(correct answer)
- C.A hill
- D.A weigh station
Why: The pentagon is used for school advance warning and school crossings. Expect children, reduced limits and crossing guards.
Source: Federal MUTCD, 11th Edition (FHWA)
What are the other school zone signs?
All 7 school zone signs on one page, or every US road sign by shape and color.
Test yourself on this sign and the rest of the set with a road signs practice test for Florida, Texas or California.
The artwork is the federal design itself, which the manual dedicates to the public domain in MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, Section 1D.06, checked 2026-09-09. The Interstate Shield, the 511 pictograph and the National Scenic Byway graphic are named exceptions and are not reproduced anywhere on this site.
Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 11th Edition. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration or any state agency.