Upscale describes things made for rich people, and for people who want to look rich. An upscale restaurant, an upscale hotel, an upscale part of town, an upscale shopping mall. It is mostly American English; British speakers are more likely to say 'upmarket' for the same idea. Notice what the word is really pointing at. It is not simply saying 'good' or 'expensive' — it is saying 'aimed at customers with money'. That is why businesses love the word about themselves: 'We are opening a more upscale line.' It sounds like a compliment while it is really a description of the price tag. And this is where it gets interesting. Because the word points at the customer, not at the thing, it can be used with a small sting. If your friend says 'Oh, that place is very upscale,' the tone may mean 'nice', or it may mean 'expensive and a bit full of itself, not for people like us.' Listen to the voice. Upscale is usually an adjective before a noun. There is also a verb 'to upscale', meaning to make something bigger or more expensive, but that one is much less common in everyday talk, and in technology it means something separate again — making a picture bigger, as when a TV upscales an old video to fit a big screen. If your students meet the verb, it is most likely that computer meaning.