private school

American  

noun

private schools plural

1. a school founded, conducted, and maintained by a private group rather than by the government, usually charging tuition and often following a particular philosophy, viewpoint, etc.

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private school British  

noun

1. a school under the financial and managerial control of a private body or charitable trust, accepting mostly fee-paying pupils

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• private schools
  plural

Etymology

Origin of private school

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

private school

Participating students are thriving, whether they enrolled in a private school, microschool or home school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

The New Yorker spent three years at Keuka College, a private school upstate, before changing plans.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

He will follow in the footsteps of his father, the Prince of Wales, who also attended the private school in Berkshire, where fees are around £63,000 per year.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

Treasury also answered the important question of whether home schoolers can participate—they can in the estimated 22 states that treat a home school as a private school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Up until sixth grade, he went to a private school a half hour away, in Philadelphia.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

• parochial school
• preparatory school