Is "class" similar to "school" in usage?

[ansonguy]

I've heard from my non-native English speaking friends that you would use "class" and "school" in a grammatically similar way.
I am going to make up two examples with "class" below.

(1) Is there class today?

(2) What time does class start today?

In both sentences, I don't use an article because "class" functions like "school". I mean, you would say (1) when you relate "class' to the activity you do rather than to "the classroom". The same reason applies to (2). It's just like asking the question: Will there be school?

Do you think it makes sense to omit an article from these examples? Please give me your opinion. Thanks a lot.

 

[Barb_D]

Yes - you should omit the article when used that way.

What time do you get out of class today?
We won't have class next Monday.
Class started really late today because the instructor got a flat tire.
I hope class will be cancelled because of the storm.

 

[Tdol]

In BrE, the plural sounds better to me:

What time do classes start today?
Are there classes today?

 

[Barb_D]

If you mean a high school when you have many periods of instruction in a row, yes, me too, but then I'd probably say "school" versus "classes."

I was thinking more at the college level, when you have one, say, on Mondays and Thursdays from 1-2:30, or an isolated class as an adult, like pottery or Excel basics.