Celebrities Who Went to Private School

While there may be plenty of the best public schools in the USA, knowing the right environment and overall personality of any particular brand in education is paramount to understand. Whether driven by curiosity, or you're searching for the right places to send your own children one day, private education definitely benefits a child's growth in the education system, but the question of its overall necessity can still be stipulated.

No matter which system is better or worse, private schooling and the extraordinary lessons inherent within it are an important part of the following lives. These celebrities who went to private school not only showcasing a penchant for maturity and commitment, but also seem to challenge themselves in every way possible. This is a perfect tool to have and one, realistically, taught only at private schools, or anywhere between that of a boarding school or prep school. However you want to envision the current state of our educational system, it's important to note how the following individuals independently shaped their own lives after their high school graduations.

Jane Fonda

Somewhat lost to the modern generation, yet never forgotten (Monster-in-Law is an all-time classic that cannot be ignored!), Jane Fonda is both an American actress and social icon, whose humanitarian interests and political beliefs have marked her as a striking voice within today's shaky climate. You either know her, or don't, and you'd be surprised to find out she's among celebrities who went to private school.

Jane Fonda's acting career would probably first take root while attending all-girls college preparatory boarding school, Emma Willard. Fonda has grown up into a media image, while maybe not as popular as Kylie Jenner, the actress' variance in roles and industry have given her a multiplicity of fans. Supplying spellbinding performances through TV appearances, such as The Simpsons and The Newsroom, plus astounding characterizations in films like Fathers & Daughters or Agnes of God, Fonda continues the boarding school tradition by enlightening the world as much as possible.

Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland is the star of the action-thrill ride television series 24, and another more under the radar personas among celebrities who went to private school. For one of the most famous actors, becoming an adult was not easy. Sutherland spent a long time traversing in between a variety of private schools mostly in California.

Among these institutions were St. Andrew's College, Malvern Collegiate Institute, and Harbord Collegiate Institute, for a few. Sutherland has also admitted to being roommates with Robert Downey Jr. for his first three years in Hollywood film acting school.

Donald Trump

Not especially fan-liked, or even somewhat respected by the public, acting US President Donald Trump himself finds himself in the crosshairs of the media once again; he's guilty, of course, for being among celebrities who went to private school.

Who would have known, given his ample amount of maturity and long list of gentleman-like qualities (all sarcasm). On a more serious note, Trump was basically forced into attending a private boarding school, New York Military Academy, at the age of 13, as reprimand for his frequented and without-permission trips into Manhattan. Though he may not seem like he attended high school at all, Trump's early life was filled with ample fun and adventures, as any boarding school student is prone to experiencing.

Uma Thurman

Known most prominently for her roles in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill saga, Uma Thurman's educational history is, like many before her, a twisting string of drop outs and cross-country movement, until she had finally dropped out of Massachusetts preparatory school, called Northfield Mount Herman School, in order to pursue an acting career.

Thurman's various performances prove she's a natural and star whenever tasked with strong, mentally unstable female protagonists. She maintains a variety of television series appearances, like Imposters (2017) and Smash (2012), but her addition to film history will never be forgotten, what with the legendary character of Mia Wallace under her belt.

Charlie Day

If anyone's going to be giving tips for surviving high school, I'd hope it not to be given by Charlie Day. That's not in any offense to him, rather the Always Sunny star comedian and writer is an eclectic personality.

His FX television series has been consistently praised for a variety of reasons, whether it be for ridiculous hijinks, or uncalled for dark humor, Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a laughing riot for those who aren't even fans of the series. These hilarities and satirical connotations would be bred from an early life spent among the halls of Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island, making him one of few celebrities who went to private school. I still wouldn't ask him for survival tips, though.

Benicio del Toro

Having attended Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania at 15, Benicio del Toro eventually turned a rough early childhood into a life of dreams come true. Now starring in such films as Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy, the Puerto Rican-born film actor lost his mother at the age of nine to hepatitis.

After graduating from Mercersburg Academy, Benicio followed the advice expressed by his father and enrolled in a business degree at the University of California. His early childhood, marred by the loss of his mother and home of Puerto Rico, certainly highlights how the actor is so resolute and firm in almost every single role and is among the most talented celebrities who went to private school.

Michael Douglas

Though he didn't share classes with her, Douglas makes another addition among celebrities who went to private school. Like Jamie Lee Curtis, he attended none other than Choate Rosemary Hall, known as The Choate Preparatory School at the time of his schooling.

Later into his life, Douglas would utilize many lessons learned from his private education. After the release of Romancing the Stone in 1984, he was immediately launched into stardom and has since bled truth into the myriad of roles pockmarking his extensive resume.

Lady Gaga

Super Bowl Halftime Performer, six-time Grammy award winner, and an overall stunner of a social icon, Lady Gaga seemingly rose to the top of the music industry out of nowhere. She's worked on television shows, like American Horror Story's fifth season, plus she regularly involves herself in social activist movements, like LGBT rights and the limitation of bullying, which her Born This Way Foundation explicitly targets.

Among other more interesting facts about the illustrious pop singer and media mogul, Gaga's also among celebrities who went to private school. At New York based Convent of the Sacred Heart, the singer experienced an education based around the Catholic all-girls school mentality of bettering oneself through commitment and a progressive outpouring of love.

Denzel Washington

Two-time Academy Award winner for best supporting actor, plus a resume of astounding lead roles, Denzel Washington still continues to capture our attention whenever bringing life to the screen. Washington's career tells its own history, and only continues to expand in his long tenure on the silver screen.

The legendary film actor, playing some of the most complex characters, like Alonzo from Training Day, African American boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, and the uncoiling Manchurian Candidate protagonist, is also among celebrities who went to private school. Attending a boarding school by the name of Oakland Military Academy, a decision made that had ultimately been made by his parents' splitting divorce.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Starring in the 1978 horror flick that would spark an entire series of films and subsequent media under the Michael Meyers slogan, Jamie Lee Curtis has had a long career in acting, even without the likes of Halloween (which they're now making into a 2018 sequel).

Aside from her talent, Curtis is also among celebrities who went to private school, as her education spanned between the likes of the Westlake School, Beverly Hills High School, and finally graduating from all-girls boarding school Choate Rosemary Hall.

Matthew Perry

Since the show meant so much to me way back in my youth (I actually cried at the end of the Friends season finale), and he was by far my favorite personality amongst them, Matthew Perry also finds himself among celebrities who went to private school.

He’s definitely got the character of a private school student, though much older and unpredictable. Perry May not have been able to outshine his sitcom past like his other co-stars, but he still serves as an unpredictable bearer in private education.