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

The future king follows in the footsteps of his father in attending the elite private school, which has taught 20 British prime ministers and where fees are around £65,000 a year.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

They wanted to find an alternative to the local public school for their two young children, but they couldn’t afford a private school in the city or a house in a good suburban school district.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Their two children -- Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five -- have already been signed up to start at a private school in early September, according to UK media outlets.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

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

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

It was a strange opposition: the hard-bitten private-eye expression on the face of a girl wearing a uniform for private school.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• parochial school
• preparatory school