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Comment by steve_barton | Hacker News Reader

> From NYC's decision to offer free lunches for all public school students.

Wait, what?! Why would the city spend money on subsidising the lunch of children with parents rich enough to send them to a public school?

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I think in the United States, 'public school' means the exact opposite of what it means elsewhere - there it means a school run by the city that anyone can go to.

I've always found this stupid in the UK. Not only do we call paid for schools Public Schools, but we simultaneously call them Private Schools. It makes no sense!

[EDIT] wrong parent, right thread. Meant to reply to chrisseaton

Only seven schools in the UK are actually 'public schools'. It's a precise legal status. So 'private school' and 'public school' does not mean the same thing.

Originally they were the only schools that educated members of the general public, rather than people just from the local village or church or things like that, so the name does make sense.

Oooo, thanks for that! Know of anything where I can read more / see the legal definitions?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Schools_Act_1868

You might be surprised to hear this, but New York city is in America. Thus while Public School in the UK are privately owned, elitist, and tuition charging, in America it is the opposite. In America public schools are the schools the public attend which the state finances.

> You might be surprised to hear this, but New York city is in America

Please don't break the rules by posting snark here.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

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