A school is an educational establishment designed primarily to offer learning venues and learning environments specifically for the learning of children under the guidance of qualified teachers. Most developed countries have systems of public elementary education, which in some cases may be required. In such instances, students advance progressively through a series of elementary schools, each bearing a logo identifying it as a primary school. Some countries also have technical or vocational schools that are designed exclusively for students who are at the early stages of learning. These schools generally correspond to branches of the government or similar organs and offer quality education at various levels.
Private schools are established for the benefit of parents and other individuals who can afford the fees required by public schools that are publicly funded. Private schools usually have tuition fees as high as that of public schools, with the latter’s financial support coming from taxes paid by residents of the country. In some countries, particularly those that do not have developed private schools, parents opt for specialist private schools that may not be funded by the government. Some of the most prominent examples of specialized private schools are boarding schools and private academies. However, nonpublic schools may also cater to a wider range of needs, thereby becoming institutions of higher education.
A recent development in public schooling is the presence of parochial schools. Parochial schools are normally funded, like regular schools, by one large body, usually a parish. As in the case of regular schools, parochial school students usually have to go to the same school from nursery to grade twelve (twelfth grade in Japan). However, unlike regular schools, parochial school students usually have their own set schedule, and they are not required to attend classes on the same day. This has obvious benefits for parents who wish to educate their children in separate settings, especially if they wish to teach them in distinct geographic areas. Parents also find it easier to enroll their children in parochial schools because they do not have to go through the same set of selection processes as regular schools, since parochial schools are independent.