[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.