Q. Do you capitalize graduating classes? For example, is it “Class of 2020” or “class of 2020”?
A. We prefer lowercase: “class of 2020.” You’ll see an example at CMOS 9.30, which includes “the class of ’06” as an example demonstrating the proper use of the apostrophe. The original class of ’06 at the University of Chicago was graduating when the first edition of the Manual referred to “the class of ’96” (in paragraph 147, also to show the proper use of the apostrophe)—meaning the class of 1896, not 1996. So this is not a new preference.