College-preparatory school facts for kids
A college-preparatory school, often called a prep school, is a special kind of secondary school (like middle school or high school). These schools are mainly designed to help students get ready for higher education, which means going to college or university. Prep schools can be public, private, or religious schools.
Prep Schools in Japan
In Japan, college-prep schools are known as Shingakukō (進学校). This name means "a school used to progress into another school." These schools are usually seen as very good and can be tough to get into.
There are different levels of prep schools in Japan. The level depends on which university the school helps students get into.
Japanese prep schools first started as chūgakkō (中学校), which were secondary schools for boys. This happened after a school law in 1886. Later, schools for girls (kōtō jogakkō (高等女学校)) and vocational schools (jitsugyō gakkō (実業学校)) were also included.
Many Japanese secondary schools used to be five-year programs. Even after a new school system started in 1947, the good reputation of the old boys' secondary schools (kyūsei chūgakkō (旧制中学校)) continued.
Today, many shingakukō are six-year schools. This means they combine junior high and high school. Many of these schools were once the old kyūsei chūgakkō or kōtō jogakkō. Some are also connected to universities. Japanese students who want to go to a prep school often take special written tests in sixth grade.
Besides the six-year prep schools, some top public high schools (which are three-year schools) and highly-ranked private high schools are also considered shingakukō. In recent years, some public junior and senior high schools have started working together. This helps more students get ready for college.
The Japanese government helps private schools with money. Because of this, the tuition for private prep schools is usually around 5,000 to 10,000 US dollars per year.
Prep Schools in the United States
In the United States, college-preparatory schools can be public, private, or charter schools. They can also be religious or non-religious. Some of these schools choose students based on specific things, like their grades. Other schools accept all students who apply. In 2017, about 5.7 million students were in private elementary or secondary schools in the US. This was about 10% of all students.
Public and charter prep schools are usually part of a local school district. They often accept students from the whole district, not just the closest neighborhood. Some of these schools offer special classes or programs to prepare students for a certain subject. Other schools use the "prep school" name for advertising, but their programs are similar to regular high schools.
Prep schools started in the US before the American Civil War. Back then, there were no public high schools. So, many colleges created "preparatory academies" to get students ready for college studies. Sometimes, these prep divisions had more students than the college itself! There were also prep schools not connected to colleges, especially for girls. At that time, boys and girls did not study together. Some of the girls' prep schools later became women's colleges after the Civil War.
Free high school education for everyone became available in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Since then, most "prep schools" in the US are private, top-level schools. They have very strict rules for getting in and high tuition fees. These schools are for students aged 13 to 18. There is usually not much financial help available, other than loans.
Prep schools can be day schools (where students go home after school) or boarding schools (where students live at the school). Some are both. They can also be co-educational (boys and girls together) or single-sex (only boys or only girls). Today, day schools are more common than boarding schools. Since the 1970s, co-educational schools have become more common than single-sex schools.
Unlike public schools, which are free, private prep schools charge tuition. In 2014, this could be anywhere from $10,000 to over $40,000 per year. Some prep schools are connected to a specific religion. However, independent prep schools are not controlled by a religious group. Students usually don't have to take classes in one specific religion. Even though independent prep schools in the US are not watched by the government, many are checked and approved by special groups called accreditation agencies.
See also
