graduating class vs class

graduating class and class both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
graduating class	Yes	No	No	No
class	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, class is a hypernym of graduating class; that is, class is a word with a broader meaning than graduating class:

Other hypernyms of graduating class include year.

graduating class (noun)	class (noun)
the body of students who graduate together this year	education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
	elegance in dress or behavior
	a collection of things sharing a common attribute
	people having the same social, economic, or educational status
	(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more orders
	a body of students who are taught together
	a body of students who graduate together
	a league ranked by quality

graduating class (verb)	class (verb)
	arrange or order by classes or categories