A public school, in common British usage, is a school which is usually prestigious and historic, which charges fees, does not arbitrarily restrict admissions, and is financed by bodies other than the state, commonly as a private charitable trust . In British usage, a government-run school (which would be called a 'public school' in other areas, such as the United States) is called "a state school".
公学，是英国常见的一种用法，指的是历史悠久的名校，这类学校收取学费，不随意限制招生，办学经费并非由政府而是由私人慈善信托基金出资。在英国，政府经营的学校(在其他地方会被称为“公学”，比如美国就这么称呼)，被称作“国立学校”。
The term "public" (first adopted by Eton) historically refers to the fact that the school was open to the paying public, as opposed to, a religious school that was only open to members of a certain church, and in contrast to private education at home(usually only practical for the very wealthy who could afford tutors).
“公学”这个术语(被伊顿公学首先采用)在历史上指的是学校公开招生的意思，不像宗教学校只招收某些教会的成员，也不像家庭私人教育(通常只适用于那些非常富有的能请得起家教的家庭)。
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is funded by a combination of tuition charges, donations, and in some cases the investment yield of an endowment. The terms independent school and private school are often synonymous in popular usage outside the United Kingdom.
独立学校是指办学经费和学校管理都是独立式的，以学费和捐款为教育资金，或者有时靠的是捐赠基金的投资收益。“独立学校”和“私立学校”这两种说法在英国以外的国家一般是同义的。
