state school

British

noun

any school maintained by the state, in which education is free

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A network of online charter schools fraudulently obtained at least $400 million in state school funds from 2016 to 2019, according to the San Diego County district attorney’s office.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Jake Amram whose sons, aged 5 and 9, attended the school said one had struggled in a state school due to the class size.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

"That way, we can alleviate some of the financial implications and make our programme sustainable. Just because you're at state school doesn't mean you should have less of an opportunity."

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Education Week provides a roundup of where things stand on the new federal program to fund state school choice through tax credits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

She hadn’t saved much, but she figured if he started out at community college, he could transfer to a state school.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023