a period of time, usually an academic or calendar year, in which a student takes a break from school to travel, work, or volunteer, typically after ending high school and before starting college.
noun
British a year’s break taken by a student between leaving school and starting further education
America’s (small) new trend: taking a gap year | Parenting
Taking Charge of My Own Learning With A Gap Year | Getting Smart
Go Away: In Praise Of The Gap Year, For All Students | Cognoscenti
Educational gap year guide | Cambridge Centre for Sixth-Form Study