A school is an institution where students receive formal instruction. It has teachers, a curriculum, and a schedule. It has rules, bells, and report cards. Most children spend thousands of hours in one before adulthood.

Schools vary enormously. A rural school with one room and thirty students looks nothing like a sprawling urban high school with thousands. A private boarding school differs from a public day school. An online school has no building at all. The common thread is organized learning under adult guidance.

Schools do more than teach subjects. They socialize children, feed them, and sometimes provide healthcare. They sort students by ability and prepare them for work. They also reflect and reproduce social inequality. The debate over what schools should do, and for whom, has been going on for centuries.

Common features

• Teachers and staff
• Curriculum and standards
• Classrooms and facilities
• Schedules and calendars
• Assessment and reporting