Public school facts for kids

A public school is a type of school, but what it means can be different depending on where you are in the world! In some countries, like the United States and Canada, a public school is a free school paid for by the government. But in the United Kingdom, a public school is actually a private school where students pay fees to attend. It can be a bit confusing, so let's explore what public schools are like in different places.

Public Schools in North America

In the United States and Canada, public schools are schools that are open to everyone. They are paid for by the government, so students do not have to pay to go there. These schools usually get their money from taxes. These taxes are paid by people who own buildings in the area around the school.

Public schools became much more common in the United States in the 1800s. Today, every U.S. state has free public schools for its students.

Sometimes, people discuss how well public schools are doing. One idea to help students is to give "vouchers" to parents. These vouchers can help families pay for their children to go to private schools instead. However, some people worry that this might take money away from public schools. They believe that money should be used to make public schools even better for everyone.

Public Schools in the UK and Other Countries

In the United Kingdom, a public school is actually a private school. Students pay money, called fees, to attend these schools. A famous example is Eton College. They are called 'public' because they accept students from anywhere. This means students don't just have to live nearby.

Some of these schools are boarding schools. This means students can live and sleep at the school during the school year. Public schools in the UK have a group called the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Younger schools that get children ready for public schools are called Preparatory schools, or 'prep' schools.

The name "public school" for these private schools comes from history. It dates back to the UK Public Schools Act of 1868. This law set rules for seven important English boys' schools. These schools were:

• Charterhouse School
• Eton College
• Harrow School
• Rugby School
• Shrewsbury School
• Westminster School
• Winchester College

These public schools have a strong history of helping their students get into top universities. Examples include Cambridge and Oxford. They often educate the children of families from the upper and upper-middle classes in Britain. For example, the children of British Empire officers often went to school in England. This happened while their parents were working overseas.

In 2010, more than half of the Cabinet Ministers (important government leaders) had gone to public schools. In 2009, the yearly fees for students who lived at these schools could be as high as £30,000.

Two twenty-first century Prime Ministers, Tony Blair and David Cameron, attended public schools. Many Prime Ministers from earlier centuries also went to these schools.