Is school a thing or place?

If you are referring to where one goes to be educated, that is a place. " I go to a school for art.". It can also be used as a verb to describe being taught something, which I actually think is slang, " come here son and let me school you on playing pool". As far as it being used as a thing, only if it was a miniaturized replica, then it could be referred to as a thing.