Meaning & use
prep school
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritish
In Britain, a private school for children roughly aged seven to thirteen that prepares them for entry to a private secondary school.
Grammar: Often with go to: he went to a prep school.
Patterns
- go to prep school
- attend a prep school
He went to prep school in Surrey before moving on to Eton.
Many prep schools hold entrance exams at age eleven.
The prep school has small classes and a large playing field.
nouncountableAmerican
In the United States, a private high school that prepares students for college.
Grammar: Often shortened: a prep school student.
Patterns
- attend prep school
- a prep school graduate
She attended a prep school in New England before starting college.
The prep school sends most of its graduates to top universities.
Word forms
| plural | prep schools |
|---|
Common combinations
- private prep school
- They sent their son to a private prep school.
- attend prep school
- He attended prep school in Vermont.
- prep school education
- A prep school education can be very expensive.
- boarding prep school
- She spent four years at a boarding prep school.
- prep school student
- The prep school student won a science prize.
Synonyms and how they differ
- preparatory school
- Preparatory school is the full, formal name of the same type of school.
- private school
- Private school is the general term for any fee-paying school, not only those that prepare students for the next stage.
- boarding school
- Boarding school stresses that students live there, which is not necessarily true of a prep school.
- academy
- Academy is a name used by many schools, public and private, and does not suggest preparation.
Opposites
Word family
- prep noun
- short for preparation or preparatory school; also homework in Britain
- preppy adjective
- neat and fashionable in a way linked to prep schools
- preparatory adjective
- done as preparation for something
Commonly confused: prep school or public school?
prep school vs public school
In Britain a public school is actually a private, fee-paying secondary school, while in the United States it is a free state school.
Practice
In Britain, a prep school mainly prepares children for ___.
Choose one answer.
British prep schools prepare children aged about seven to thirteen for private secondary schools. In the US, however, a prep school prepares teenagers for college, which is the tempting option.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “prep school”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.