private school

/ˈpɹaɪvɪt ˈskuːl//ˈpɹaɪvət ˈskul/

noun

An educational institution that operates independently of government administration or public funding, typically financed through tuition, private donations, or endowments.

Meanings

nounprivate school (plural private schools)

plural private schools

  1. educationAn educational institution that operates independently of government administration or public funding, typically financed through tuition, private donations, or endowments.

    If there were no public funding of private schools the level of enrolment would be very low. Demand for private schooling can only become effective demand if private school places are available at the right price.

    1985, Simon Marginson, Education and Public Policy in Australia, page 202
    2 more examples

    1953, Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia, Issue 39, page 218, The Roman Catholic schools comprise the largest group of private schools in Australia. On the basis of the figures available, approximately 222,000 children, or 76 per cent. of the total in private schools, are educated in Roman Catholic schools.

    Private schools and educational success Australia has long had three substantially separate streams of secondary education: government schools, Catholic schools, and a diverse collection of private schools not affiliated with the Catholic Church. Of the non-Catholic private schools, about two thirds are associated with Protestant churches - although only a minority have a strong religious character - and another third are non-denominational.

    2002, M. D. R. Evans, Jonathan Kelley, Australian Economy and Society, 2001: Education, Work, and Welfare, page 67

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 私立學校 /私立学校
  • 私立學校 /私立学校 (sīlì xuéxiào)fee-charging school
Esperanto privata lernejo
  • privata lernejofee-charging school
Finnish yksityiskoulu
  • yksityiskoulufee-charging school
French école privée
  • école privéefee-charging school
German Privatschule
  • Privatschulefee-charging school
Greek ιδιωτικό σχολείο
  • ιδιωτικό σχολείο (idiotikó scholeío)fee-charging school
Hindi प्राइवेट स्कूल
  • प्राइवेट स्कूल (prāiveṭ skūl)fee-charging school
Hungarian magániskola
  • magániskolafee-charging school
Japanese 私立学校
  • 私立学校 (shiritsu gakkō)fee-charging school
Norwegian Bokmål privatskole
  • privatskolefee-charging school
Polish szkoła prywatna
  • szkoła prywatnafee-charging school
Portuguese escola particular
  • escola particularfee-charging school
Russian ча́стная шко́ла
  • ча́стная шко́ла (částnaja škóla)fee-charging school
Spanish escuela privada
  • escuela privadafee-charging school
Swahili shule ya kibinafsi
  • shule ya kibinafsifee-charging school
Swedish privatskola
  • privatskolafee-charging school
Turkish özel okul
  • özel okulfee-charging school
Cite this entry
APA

private school. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/private%20school

MLA

“private school.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/private%20school. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “private school,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/private%20school.

Source: private school on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.