Schooling provided for the general public by the government, whether national or local, and paid for by taxes, which leads to it often being called state education. Schools provided under such a system are called public schools in many countries, but in England the term “public school” refers to an elite of privately funded independent schools which had their origins in medieval schools funded by charity to provide education for the poor.

Public education often involves the following: public funding; compulsory student attendance; state certification of teachers and curricula; and testing and national standards.