The Boston Latin School, established in 1635, was the first school in what is now the United States. Although it has changed locations, the public school is still operating today.

Illustration by Ebenezer Thayer, courtesy Wikimedia
  • On April 23, 1635, the first public school in what would become the United States was established in Boston, Massachusetts. Known as the Boston Latin School, this boys-only public secondary school was led by schoolmaster Philemon Pormont, a Puritan settler. The Boston Latin School was strictly for college preparation. It was modeled after the Free Grammar School of Boston, England. The English school taught Latin and Greek and was centered on the humanities. Some of the Boston Latin School’s most well-known alumni include John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Benjamin Franklin was a dropout!
     
    The Boston Latin School is still a fully functioning public school, with students enrolled in grades 7-12. However, it has changed with time, becoming coeducational in 1972 and moving locations several times. It is now in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. Admission to Boston Latin is very competitive, and is limited to residents of the city.
  • Term Part of Speech Definition Encyclopedic Entry
    city Noun

    large settlement with a high population density.
    establish Verb

    to form or officially organize.
    humanities Plural Noun

    the study of history, literature, arts, and philosophy.
    Latin Noun

    language of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire.
    public Adjective

    available to an entire community, not limited to paying members.
    Puritan Noun

    member of a strict Protestant religious and political group that originated in England in the 1500s.
Credits

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Editor

Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society

Producer

Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society

Last Updated

Dec. 16, 2013

User Permissions

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please visit our FAQ page.

Media

Some media assets (videos, photos, audio recordings and PDFs) can be downloaded and used outside the National Geographic website according to the Terms of Service. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the lower right hand corner (download) of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.