College-preparatory school

Type of secondary school

For the high school in Oakland, California, see The College Preparatory School. For the private school in Montreal, Quebec, see College Prep International.

Not to be confused with Preparatory school (United Kingdom) or Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles.

Phillips Academy, Andover, one of the most prestigious private academies in the United States

A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education.

## Japan

[edit]

Further information (in Japanese): Japanese middle and high school (redirect) [ja]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

In Japan, college-prep schools are called Shingakukō (進学校), which means a school used to progress into another school. Prep schools in Japan are usually considered prestigious and are often difficult to get into. However, there are many tiers of prep schools, the entry into which depends on the university that the school leads into.[1]

Japanese prep schools started as chūgakkō (中学校), secondary schools for boys, which were founded after the secondary school law in 1886. Later, kōtō jogakkō (高等女学校), secondary school for girls (1891), and jitsugyō gakkō (実業学校), vocational schools (1924), were included among chūtōgakkō and were legally regarded as schools on the same level as a school for boys. However, graduates from those two types of schools had more requirements for college entrance. In the modern period, many Japanese secondary schools were five-year schools, except for during a short term from 1943 to 1946. [citation needed]

The social status of chūgakkō, or kyūsei chūgakkō (旧制中学校), secondary schools for boys under the old system, did not disappear even after the new system (6-3-3) took effect in 1947. Many shingakukō are six-year schools. Many have their origins in kyūsei chūgakkō and kōtō jogakkō, or ones attached to universities. Japanese pupils who aspire to a prep school education take written examinations in sixth grade in each prep school. [citation needed]

Unlike six-year prep schools, the top municipal senior high school (three-year schools) in each school zone and some high-ranked private senior high schools (ditto) are also regarded as shingakukō (進学校). In the 21st century, some trial cases connecting public junior and senior high schools are seen in each region, too, broadening the education for college entrance. As the Japanese government provides grant-in-aid to private schools, the tuition is 5,000–10,000 US dollars per year, even if it is a private school. [citation needed]

## United States

[edit]

In the United States, there are public, private, and charter college-preparatory schools that can be either parochial or secular. Admission is sometimes based on specific selection criteria, usually academic, but some schools have open enrollment.[2] In 2017, 5.7 million students were enrolled in US private elementary or secondary schools, constituting 10% of total school enrollment. Of those, 1.4 million students were enrolled in a secular (nonsectarian) school.[3]

Public and charter college preparatory schools are typically connected to a local school district and draw from the entire district instead of the closest school zone. Some offer specialized courses or curricula that prepare students for a specific field of study. In contrast, others use the label as a promotional tool without offering programs different from a conventional high school.[2]

Preparatory schools began before the Civil War, when there were no public schools above the grammar school or elementary level anywhere in the US. Their graduates were not ready for college study, so many colleges set up "preparatory academies" to prepare them for college study. The preparatory division could dwarf the college enrollment, as at New York Central College. There were also preparatory schools unaffiliated with colleges, especially for girls, such as the Columbia Female Academy. At the time, men and women did not study together at any level, and there were no women's colleges. Some of the female preparatory schools became women's colleges after the Civil War.

Free high school level education for all became available in the later 19th and early 20th centuries. Since then, the surviving "prep schools" in the US are primarily private, elite institutions that have very selective admission criteria and high tuition fees, catering to students in the 13–18 age range.[4] Little financial aid other than loans is available. Prep schools can be day schools, boarding schools, or both, and may be co-educational or single-sex. Currently, day schools are more common than boarding, and since the 1970s, co-educational schools have been more common than single-sex.[5] Unlike the public schools which are free, they charge tuition ($10,000 to 40,000+ a year in 2014).[6]

Some prep schools are affiliated with a particular religious denomination. Unlike parochial schools, independent preparatory schools are not governed by a religious organization, and students are usually not required to receive instruction in one particular religion. While independent prep schools in the United States are not subject to government oversight or regulation, many are accredited by one of the six regional accreditation agencies for educational institutions.[7][page needed]

## See also

[edit]

* Schools portal

* Advanced Placement
* International Baccalaureate
* Gymnasium (school)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ William K. Cummings, Education and equality in Japan (Princeton University Press, 2014).
2. ^ a b Yednak, Crystal, "What does "college prep" school really mean?", GreatKids, GreatSchools, retrieved 7 April 2016
3. ^ "COE - Private School Enrollment". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
4. ^ Laneri, Raquel (29 April 2010), "America's Best Prep Schools", Forbes, archived from the original on 8 April 2016, retrieved 7 April 2016
5. ^ Sarah Alexander Chase, Perfectly prep: Gender extremes at New England prep school (Oxford University Press, 2008)
6. ^ Lisa R. Bass, "Boarding schools and capital benefits: Implications for urban school reform." The Journal of Educational Research (2014) 107#1 pp: 16–35.
7. ^ Peter W. Cookson, Jr.; Caroline Persell (2008). Preparing for power. Basic Books (published 1985). ISBN 978-0-7867-2416-1. OCLC 660054698. OL 18166618W. Wikidata Q108671720.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Hochschild, Adam. Finding the Trapdoor: Essays, Portraits, Travels (Syracuse University Press, 1997), "World on a Hilltop," pp. 123–139.
* McLachlan, James. American Boarding Schools: A Historical Study (1970) online

## External links

[edit]

* The Independent Schools Directory (Global)
* National Association of Independent Schools Archived 15 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine
* Independent Schools Association of the Southwest
* Canadian Association of Independent Schools
* The Association of Boarding Schools

* v
* t
* e

School types

By educational stage|

| Early childhood|

* Preschool
* Pre-kindergarten
* Kindergarten

|

Primary|

* First school
* Infant school
* Junior school
* Primary school / Elementary school

Secondary|

* Adult high school
* Cadet college
* College-preparatory school
* Collegiate institute
* Comprehensive school
* Comprehensive high school
* Continuation high school
* Grammar school
* Lyceum
* Maths school
* Minor seminary
* Secondary school / High school
* Selective school
* Gymnasium
* Hauptschule
* Sixth form college
* Studio school
* University technical college
* Upper school

Tertiary|

* Professional school
* Technical school
* Vocational school

Higher|

* Academy
* College
* Community college
* Graduate school
* Institute of technology
* Junior college
* Liberal arts college
* Research university
* Residential college
* Seminary
* University
* Collegiate
* Upper division college
* Vocational university

Combined|

* All-through school
* Middle school
* One-room school
* Ranch school

By funding / eligibility|

* Academy (England)
* Charter school
* Community day school
* Comprehensive school
* For-profit education
* Free education
* Free school (England)
* Institute
* Private school
* UK private school
* preparatory
* public
* University
* private
* public
* international
* Selective school
* Separate school
* Sink school
* Specialist school (United Kingdom)
* State or public school
* State-integrated school (New Zealand)

By style / purpose|

* Alternative school
* Democratic education
* Anarchistic free school
* Sudbury school
* International school
* Magnet school
* Music school
* Single-sex education
* Specialist school
* Vocal school

Progressive|

* Free school movement
* Folk high school
* Laboratory school
* Montessori school
* Waldorf school

Religious|

* Bible college
* Catholic school
* Christian school
* Female seminary
* Gurukula
* Parochial school
* Madrasa
* Yeshiva

By location|

* Boarding school
* Day school
* Distance education
* Homeschooling
* Prison education
* Virtual school

By scope|

* College preparatory
* Compensatory education
* Compulsory education
* Continuing education
* Further education
* Gifted education
* Inclusive education
* Remedial education
* Special education

Historical|

* Ancient higher-learning institutions
* Platonic Academy
* Lyceum
* Monastic school
* Cathedral school
* Medieval university
* Historical infant schools
* Great Britain
* Ireland
* Global

Schools imposed on
indigenous peoples

* in Canada
* in New Zealand
* in South Africa
* in the United States

Informal or illegal|

* in Ireland
* in Greece
* in South Tyrol

Related topics|

* K–12
* Educational institution

* Schools portal
* Category
* Commons

Authority control databases: National |

* United States
* Israel

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template