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

Meena says she grew up in a small village in the Netherlands by parents who taught at a private school.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Scholarship amounts are modest: $2,000 for home-schoolers or up to $10,474 to attend a private school, which is 85% of the usual per-pupil funding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Their two children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, have already been signed up at a private school for the start of the academic year in early September, according to multiple British media outlets.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

"I send my grandchildren to a private school," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

By autumn, things had gotten so bad that she confessed tearfully to a friend that her son was being ridiculed and ostracized by classmates at his exclusive private school.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• parochial school
• preparatory school