Background information

The film Dead Poets Society (1989) directed by Peter Weir takes place at the fictional Welton Academy in Vermont, USA, which is a preparatory school, therefore a better knowledge of how preparatory schools in the United States work might lead to a better understanding of the movie. College-preparatory schools, more commonly known as “prep schools” are a type of secondary education, like high schools. They are marketed as preparing the students for famous colleges, such as Harvard or Yale. In the movie, Dr. Nolan mentions as a point of pride that more than 75 percent of the Welton graduates went on to be admitted into the Ivy League (00:03:19-00:03:25).

Preparatory schools began in the United States before the Civil War, answering a demand for a system of higher education when there was previously none between elementary level and college. Once high schools were established as free education in the early 20th century, preparatory schools became elite institutions with very selective admission criteria and high tuition fees. In this, they are similar with British public schools, which are also marketed to the upper class and charge high tuition fees.

Preparatory schools usually boast o...