'pupil-related' originates from modern English as a compound of the noun 'pupil' and the adjective 'related', formed to mean 'related to a pupil'.

'pupil' entered English from Middle English 'pupyl' / 'pupil', borrowed from Old French 'pupille', which derives from Latin 'pupillus' (masculine) and 'pupilla' (feminine). 'Related' comes from past participle of 'relate', from Old French/Latin roots (Latin 'relatus', past participle of 'referre'). These elements combined in modern English to form the compound adjective 'pupil-related'.

Initially, 'pupil' meant 'ward' or originally 'little doll' (Latin 'pupilla' used for both a small doll and the tiny reflection seen in the eye) and 'related' originally reflected the notion of bearing relation; over time the compound came to mean 'having a connection to pupils', used for both students and the eye's pupil in context.