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public school

public school

20 5.7
A private secondary school in Britain attended by children from wealthy families
  • noun
  • /ˈpʌblɪk skuːl/
  • UK
translation icon : colegio privado de élite (Reino Unido)
  • He attended a historic public school that has educated some of the country's most notable leaders.
  • public school system
  • public school setting
  • public school teacher

You know, I was a wealthy child in a public school.

Examples

  • - Let me tell you what l learned after teaching public school.

    The Trotsky (2010)

  • What sort of previous public school teaching experience do I need?

    Academic text (1996)

  • So, are you enjoying public school as much as you hoped that you would?

    The Trotsky (2010)

  • But it's expensive, and Bronx Science is a great public school.

    Margot at the Wedding (2007)

  • lt was a public school with a liberal arts emphasis.

    The Trotsky (2010)

  • Slater just transferred here from public school.

    Superstar (1999)

  • Increasingly, public school teachers are Caucasian, female, and middle class, while public school students are increasingly minority and poor.

    Academic text (2013)

  • - Leon, maybe you'd like to share with the family how you're adapting to your new public school?

    The Trotsky (2010)

  • Many wealthy families prefer sending their children to a public school in Britain for its prestigious reputation.

  • After being accepted into a top public school, she felt excited to meet new friends from influential backgrounds.

Synonyms

private school
vspublic school
120 1.9

A place where children learn that is not run by the government and costs money

is a specific elite British secondary school often linked to wealth and endowments

How Exclusive

public school
  • UK
20 5.7
grammar school
  • US
1 1.1
day school
4 1.7
public school
  • US
305 1.0

Surface Forms

public school singular
public schools plural
state schools plural
state school singular

Morphology

public + school

The US meaning 'a school free to attend, supported by public taxes' is directly derivable from combining 'public' (open/nonprivate, funded by the public) with 'school' (an educational institution), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer this sense. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. Spanish 'escuela pública', French 'école publique') support this compositional reading, though learners should be warned that in British English 'public school' can mean an elite private school, which is an exception to the general transparency.

Etymology

Public school in Britain may come from a time when the word public meant schools that were open to paying students from anywhere, not just a local town or church. That's why today public school in Britain means a private, often expensive school for rich families.