independent school n 1. (Education) (in Britain) a school that is neither financed nor controlled by the government or local authorities 2. (in Australia) a school that is not part of the state system Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014