public school

American  

noun

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

• public-school adjective

Etymology

Origin of public school

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

Rather than discarding public schools or educator accountability, the rest of America should adopt a model that has been proven to work.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pelley even noted their evasiveness before suggesting that their organization intentionally misrepresents outliers — such as when books intended for high school students accidentally land on elementary school shelves — to produce skewed narratives of public schools.

From Salon

It makes Kurdish a "national language" that can be taught in public schools in areas where the minority community is heavily present.

From Barron's

The decree makes Kurdish a national language that can be taught in public schools in areas where the minority community is heavily present.

From Barron's

Last week, the Mississippi House took up a bill that would loosen limits on the creation of new charter schools and make it easier for families to transfer from one public school to another.

From The Wall Street Journal