[usmeteora]

higher education = college not highscghool

we have horrible highschools compared to Europe and Urban China

We do have good higher education but with the following caveats

1. 500% increase in tuition relative to inflation

2. Global competition for entrance rates as people from all countries want access to American universities

I wouldnt elite view American colleges as American institutions of higher education. Just ones that reside in America, but that does not mean that Americans are the ones excelling and going into them, going to grad school, starting wealthy companies and creating jobs in America.

edit* I removed the statement about saying America versus North America.

[krapp]

> United States I presume and not "America" whatever that means

It means pedants like to pretend that the world hasn't been using "America" to refer to the United States for decades, and they act like it isn't well established vernacular.

[madeofpalk]

> United States I presume and not "America" whatever that means

> American colleges

> American institutions

> reside in America

> Americans

> jobs in America

[arethuza]

How do you compare anything with schools across Europe? Even within the UK the range from the top private ("public") schools to the humblest state schools is enormous.

[NB Total cost of going to a top private school in the UK is probably at least $50K a year]

[usmeteora]

Same in America.

I went to a public urban highschool for the first two years of highschool, then a scholarship for a private highschool where tuition is $40k/yr.

So in that regard, I would say its comparable that America also has a range of top tier private schools, and then both high end and low end public schools, with the high end ones residing in rich suburbias.

Also, I think there is some slight flip of how public and private schools are referred to in the UK vs US, and that might directly conflate the comparisons we are making in our heads? Is it not the reverse in the UK, where a private school is actually the default district school and the public is a school with tuition? I feel like I remember being confused about this previously in my life with a UK person. Maybe that is also the source of confusion.

[bluejekyll]

Can you explain the (" and ") on public when you refer to private in the UK?

[arethuza]

Some private schools (not all though - wouldn't be the UK if things were that simple) are termed "public" schools.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school_(United_Kingdom)

What the rest of the world calls public schools are usually called state schools.

[lucozade]

We call the schools you pay for public schools. We call the schools that are paid from taxation state schools.

It's just us being quirky. It's not intended as a deliberate attempt to confuse and confound non-natives. Honest guvnor.

[jrkatz]

Over there, "public school" means what "private school" means in the States. It's confusing.

[jk563]

Both "public school" and "private school" are used to refer to schools which require a fee to be paid.

[sclangdon]

Selective, private-sector, paid-for schools in the UK are called Public Schools. I assume the quotes are because the schools are anything but public.