Public schools
British usage, a prestigious historic school open to the public that charges fees and is financed by bodies other than the state, commonly as a private charitable trust; here the word "public" is used much as in "public house". See public school (UK). However, most non-government funded schools in the UK are not public schools; they are called private schools or independent schools.
- In Australia, the United States and most other English-speaking nations, a school which does not charge tuition fees but is financed and/or controlled by the government, in contrast to a private school (also known as an independent school); here the word "public" is used much as in "public library", i.e. to mean "provided to the public at public expense." In the UK this would be called a state school.
In the United States, institutions of higher education that are subsidized by the states are also referred to as "public", though unlike public secondary schools, tuition is charged. Due to state funding, however, tuition is typically much less than at private institutions, particularly for residents of the state in which the school is found.
See public education.
See also
