An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and
governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for
financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead
funded by a combination of tuition charges, donations, and in some cases
the investment yield of an endowment. It is governed by a board of directors that
is elected by an independent means and a system of governance that ensures its
independent operation. It may receive government funds. However, its board
must be independent. The terms independent school and private
school are often synonymous in popular usage outside the United Kingdom.
Independent schools may have a religious affiliation, but the more precise usage
of the term excludes parochial and other schools if there is a financial
dependence upon or governance subordinate to outside organizations.
These definitions generally apply equally to primary education, secondary
education, and tertiary education institutions.
Australia In Australia, independent or private
schools are the fastest growing education sector, and over 85% of them
have a religious or church affiliation. In 2009, there were 1,022 independent
schools catering for around 500,000 students in Australia. Some independent
schools are prestigious and enrolment highly sought after, with tuition fees
to match, however since the 1980s the number of low-fee schools catering for
'average' Australians, and in some cases without any religious affiliation, has
increased significantly. Independent schools in Australia receive
approximately 75% of Federal Government school educational funding.
Independent schools in Australia make up nearly 15% of total enrolments while
Catholic schools, which usually have lower fees, also make up a sizeable
proportion and are usually regarded as a school sector of their own within the
broad category of independent schools. Enrolments in non-government schools has
been growing steadily at the expense of enrolments in government schools which
have seen their enrolment share reduce from 78% to 67% since 1970.
Australian independent schools differ slightly from those in the United States
as the Australian Government provides funding to all schools including
independent schools using a 'needs-based' funding scheme based on a
Socio-Economic Status score. The school's SES score is derived by
selecting a sample of parent's addresses and mapping these to a Census Collector
District from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census. The household income
and education data are then used to derive an SES score for each school,
which places it on a sliding scale of funding entitlement. On average, funding
granted to an independent school is 47% of that required to operate a government
school, the residual being made up by tuition fees paid by parents.
Canada In Canada, independent school refers to
elementary and secondary schools that follow provincial educational
requirements but are not managed by the provincial ministry; the term
independent is usually used to describe not-for-profit schools. In some
provinces, independent schools are regulated by the Independent School Act
and must offer curriculum prescribed by the provincial government. Ontario has
the most independent schools in Canada. Some of these include Ridley College,
Havergal College, Crescent School, St. Andrew's College, Columbia International
College, The York School and Ashbury College. Examples of independent schools
in BC include Brentwood College School, Shawnigan Lake School, and St. Michael's
University School. Many independent schools in Canada meet
National Standards and are accredited by a national not-for-profit organization
called Canadian Accredited Independent Schools.
Independent schools in British Columbia are partially financed by municipal
governments by Statutory and Permissive tax exemptions. The objective under the
legislation appears to be to level the playing field between the private and
public sector Schools. These tax exemptions over a period of time result
in considerable investment by municipal governments in the private school sector
yet under the government act they have no stake in the properties as they
remain in private hands. Dependent on the financial structure of the school
parents may have a financial stake during the time of enrollment of their
students but the investment is not continuous and the enrollment deposit
which provides for the schools capital expenditures is returned upon leaving
the school. The returned deposit is bridged by the subsequent new enrollment
and it follows that no parent makes a long term investment in the school. The
Municipal governments on balance appear to be the only long term investors
through the Statutory and Permissive tax exemptions with no ability to recapture
these costs when the school is dissolved or any portion of the assets are
disposed off. Robert Land Academy in Wellandport,
Ontario is Canada's only independent military style school for boys in grades
6 through 12. United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, independent education has grown continually for the
past twenty years. = England, Wales, and Northern Ireland =
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the more prestigious independent schools
are known as "public schools", sometimes categorised as major and minor public
schools. Although some may regard membership of the Headmasters' and
Headmistresses' Conference as what defines a school as a public school, the
term refers to the schools being for the public and controlled by a board of
governors drawn from the public. = Scotland =
In Scotland, schools not state-funded are known as independent or private
schools. Independent schools may also be specialist or special schools - such as
some music schools, Steiner Waldorf Education schools, or special education
schools. Scottish independent schools currently
educate over 31,000 students and employ approximately 3,500 teachers. Schools
are represented by the Scottish Council of Independent Schools. All schools are
still inspected by the state inspectorate, Education Scotland, and
the Care Inspectorate. Independent schools in Scotland that are charities
are subject to a specific test from the Office of the Scottish Charity
Regulator, designed to demonstrate the public benefit the schools provide.
United States Independent schools in the United States
educate a tiny fraction of the school-age population. The essential
distinction between independent schools and other private schools is
self-governance and financial independence, i.e., independent schools
own, govern, and finance themselves. In contrast, public schools are funded and
governed by local and state governments, and most parochial schools are owned,
governed, and financed by religious institutions such as a diocese or
parish. Independent schools may be affiliated with a particular religion or
denomination; however, unlike parochial schools, independent schools are
self-owned and governed by independent boards of trustees. While independent
schools are not subject to significant government oversight or regulation, they
are accredited by the same six regional accreditation agencies that accredit
public schools. The National Association of Independent Schools is a membership
organization of American pre-college independent schools.
The NAIS provides this definition of an Independent School:
Independent schools are 501(c)3 nonprofit corporate entities,
independent in governance and finance, meaning:
Independent schools "own themselves" and govern themselves, typically with a
self-perpetuating board of trustees that performs fiduciary duties of oversight
and strategic duties of funding and setting the direction and vision of the
enterprise, and by delegating day to day operations entirely to the head of
school. Independent schools finance themselves,
largely through charging tuition, fund raising, and income from endowment.
Independence is the unique characteristic of this segment of the
education industry, offering schools four freedoms that contribute to their
success: the freedom to define their own unique missions; the freedom to admit
and keep only those students well-matched to the mission; the freedom
to define the qualifications for high quality teachers; and the freedom to
determine on their own what to teach and how to assess student achievement and
progress. In the United States, there are more
independent colleges and universities than public universities, although
public universities enroll more total students. The membership organization
for independent tertiary education institutions is the National Association
of Independent Colleges and Universities.
References Further reading
Hein, David. What Has Happened to Episcopal Schools? The Living Church,
228, no. 1, 21-22. External links
Independent Schools Council of Australia National Association of Independent
Schools Canadian Accredited Independent Schools
Scottish Council of Independent Schools