Boston Latin School Founded as First Public School in America (1635)
On April 23, 1635, Boston Latin School was founded in Boston, Massachusetts as the first public school in the U.S. Boston Latin School is older than Harvard College by more than a year, and is the oldest existing school in the U.S.
Boston Latin School was founded by members of the City of Boston, and Rev. John Cotton influenced the development of school based the ancient Greek and Latin traditions taught at the Free Grammar School in Boston, England. The City of Boston funded the school and the first classes were held in the home of Philemon Pormort, the school's first Head Master.
The school has had many well respected Head Masters, including Rev. John Cotton, Ezekiel Cheever, Nathaniel Williams, and John Lovell (to name a few). And of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence, five were students at Boston Latin School, including: (i) John Hancock, Massachusetts; (ii) Samuel Adams, Massachusetts; (iii) Benjamin Franklin, Pennsylvania; (iv) Robert Treat Paine, Massachusetts; and (v) William Hooper, North Carolina.
Today, according to U.S. News & World Report, Boston Latin School ranks as one of top high-schools in the U.S. Boston Latin School also has played its rival, Boston English, in football every Thanksgiving since 1887 – which is the longest continuous high school rivalry in the U.S.
So what does it take to become a student at Boston Latin School? Well, first, you must live in Boston, Massachusetts. Second, students need to obtain competitive grades and perform well on entrance exams. Third, the school’s curriculum focuses on the humanities and students are required to take Latin. Total enrollment stands at around 2,400 students from all parts of Boston.
The Boston Latin School has acted as a model for public school education. Individual states — rather than the federal government — maintain the principle authority over public education in the U.S., and studies show a direct correlation between educational progress and a country’s development. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from the successful accomplishments and traditions of schools like Boston Latin School.