public school

American  

noun

• public schools
  plural

1. (in the U.S.) a school that is maintained at public expense for the education of the children of a community or district and that constitutes a part of a system of free public education commonly including primary and secondary schools.

2. (in England) any of a number of endowed secondary boarding schools that prepare students chiefly for the universities or for public service.

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public school British  

noun

1. (in England and Wales) a private independent fee-paying secondary school

2. (in the US) any school that is part of a free local educational system

3. in certin Canadian provinces, a public elementray school as distinguished from a separate school

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• public-school
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• public schools
  plural

Etymology

Origin of public school

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public school

Yet New York City, home to the nation’s largest public school system, spent $40 billion on its schools in 2024, up from $24 billion a decade earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

If approved, the state would have a constitutional mandate to provide free lunches and breakfasts for all K-12 public school students.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

One will weigh whether to require the SAT, ACT or the Smarter Balanced test that California gives public school students.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

In the U.S., elite youth soccer isn’t played through public school teams like football or basketball.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

My interest grew more acute with every deadening hour in the junkyard, until one day I had a bizarre thought: that I should enroll in the public school.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover