system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: why is private education in England called "public school"?

It's confusing.
gpt
A small number of older private schools are known as "public schools". When they were founded, the name made more sense because it indicated that they were open to the general public rather than being tied to membership of a particular church or other organisation.

Other private schools tend to refer to themselves as "independent schools", emphasising their independence from the government, but "private school" is also used. Government-funded schools are known as "state schools".