List of oldest schools
Appearance
This is a list of extant schools excluding universities and higher education establishments. The dates refer to the foundation or the earliest documented contemporary reference to the school. The list is a work-in-progress, and there will inevitably be many omissions, particularly for schools in non-English-speaking countries.
2nd century BC
- Shishi Middle School, China (between 143 BC and 141 BC)
Sixth century
- The King's School, Canterbury, England (597)
Seventh century
- The King's School, Rochester, England (604)
- St Peter's School, York, England (627)
Eighth century
- Beverley Grammar School, England (700)
- Gymnasium Paulinum, Germany (797) - Continuously operating since it was founded.
Tenth century
- The Pilgrims' School, England (c.900)
- Warwick School, England (914)
- Wells Cathedral School, England (909)
- St Albans School, England (948)
- The King's School, Ely, England (970)
Eleventh century
- Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, Iceland (1056)
- Viborg Katedralskole, Denmark (c.1060)
- Li Ying College, Hong Kong (c.1075)
- Katedralskolan, Lund, Sweden (1085) - Originally part of Denmark, despite the many Danish-Swedish wars continuously operating since it was founded.
- Salisbury Cathedral School, England (1091)
- Norwich School, England (1096)
Twelfth century
- High School of Glasgow, Scotland (pre-1124)
- Reading School, England (1125)
- Royal High School, Scotland (1128 est)
- Bristol Cathedral School, England (1140)
- Trondheim katedralskole, Norway (c.1152)
- Bergen katedralskole, Norway (1153)
- Oslo katedralskole, Norway (1153)
- Derby School, England (1160)
- Westminster School, England (1179)
- Lanark Grammar School, Scotland (1183)
Thirteenth century
- Colchester Royal Grammar School, England (1206)
- Metropolitanskolen, Denmark (1209)
- Riga State Gymnasium No.1, Latvia (1211)
- Thomasschule zu Leipzig, Germany (1212)
- Lancaster Royal Grammar School, England (1235)
- High School of Dundee, Scotland (1239)
- Abingdon School, England (1256)
- Cathedral School in Turku, Finland (1276)
- King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth, England (1276)
- Royal Grammar School Worcester, England (1291)
- Katedralskolan, Uppsala, Sweden (exact year of foundation not known)
Fourteenth century
- Northallerton College, England (1323)
- Gymnasium Erasmianum, The Netherlands (1328)
- Hull Grammar School, England (1330)
- Bablake School, England (1344)
- Doncaster Grammar School / Hall Cross School, England (1350)
- Wisbech Grammar School, England (1379)
- Winchester College, England (1382)
- Hereford Cathedral School, England (1384)
- Katharine Lady Berkeley's School, England (1384)
- Penistone Grammar School, England (1392)
- Cathedral School of Vilnius, Lithuania (founded before 1397)
Fifteenth century
- Chorister School, England (c.1400)
- Oswestry School, England (1407)
- Durham School, England (1414)
- Aberdeen Grammar School, Scotland (1418) (possibly 1263)
- Royal Latin School, England (1423)
- Sponne School, England (1430)
- Sevenoaks School, England (1432)
- Eton College, England (1440)
- City of London School, England (1442)
- Dreikönigsgymnasium, Cologne, Germany (1450)
- St. Bartholomew's School, England (1466)
- Magdalen College School, Oxford, England (1480)
- Galatasaray Lisesi, Turkey (1481)
- Stockport Grammar School, England (1487)
- Ermysted's Grammar School, England (1492) (first record of existence)
- King Edward VI School, Lichfield, England (1495)
- Loughborough Grammar School, England (1495)
- Queen Elizabeth's School, Wimborne Minster, England (1497)
Sixteenth century
- The King's School, Macclesfield (1502), England
- St Paul's School (London) (1509), England
- Royal Grammar School, Guildford (1509), Surrey, England
- Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn (1509), Lancashire, England
- Giggleswick School, North Yorkshire (c. 1512), England
- Wolverhampton Grammar School (1512), England
- Nottingham High School (1513), England
- Pocklington School (1514), England
- Manchester Grammar School (1515), England
- Bolton School (1516), England
- Cranbrook School, Kent, England (1518)
- King's School, Bruton, England (1519)
- Lessing-Gymnasium, Frankfurt, Germany (1519)
- Taunton Grammar School, Somerset, England (1522),
- Sedbergh School, England (1525)
- Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, England (1527)
- Gymnasium Philippinum, Marburg, Germany (1527)
- Ipswich School, Suffolk, England (1528)
- The King's School, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England (1528)
- Bingley Grammar School, England (1529)
- Katharineum zu Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany (1531)
- Kimbolton School, England (1531)
- Bristol Grammar School, England (1532)
- The Coopers Company and Coborn School, Upminster, Essex, England (1536)
- Gymnase Jean Sturm, Strasbourg, France (1538)
- The Crypt School, Gloucester, England (1539)
- Berkhamsted Collegiate School, England (1541)
- Christ College Brecon, Wales (1541)
- The King's School, Chester, England (1541)
- The King's School, Gloucester, England (1541) (Dates from 11th century)
- The King's School, Peterborough, England (1541)
- The King's School, Worcester, England (1541)
- Dauntsey's School, England (1542)
- Colyton Grammar School, England (1546)
- Bradford Grammar School, Yorkshire, England (1548)
- Maidstone Grammar School, Kent, England (1549)
- King Edward Grammar School, Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk, England (1550)
- Sherborne School, Dorset, England (1550)
- King Edward VI Grammar School (Chelmsford), Essex, England (1551)
- King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth (1551), Scotland (possibly 1276)
- Bedford School, Bedfordshire, England (1552)
- King Edward's School, Bath, England (1552)
- King Edward's School, Birmingham, England (1552)
- Leeds Grammar School, England (1552)
- Shrewsbury School, England (1552)
- Bromsgrove School, England (1553)
- Christ's Hospital, England (1553)
- King Edward's School, Witley, England (1553)
- King Edward VI School, Southampton, England (1553)
- King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon, England (1553)
- Tonbridge School, Kent, England (1553)
- Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, Lancashire, England (1554)
- Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall, England (1554)
- Boston Grammar School, England (1555)
- Gresham's School, England (1555)
- Ripon Grammar School, England (1555)
- Hampton School, England (1556)
- Oundle School, England (1556)
- Brentwood School, Essex, England (1557)
- Friars School, Bangor, Wales (1557)
- Repton School, England (1557)
- Enfield Grammar School, England (1558)
- Alleyne's High School, Stone, Staffordshire, England (1558)
- The Thomas Alleyne School, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England (1558)
- Thomas Alleyne's High School, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England (1558)
- Wilhelmsgymnasium, Munich, Germany (1559)
- Solihull School, England (1560)
- Kingston Grammar School, Surrey, England (1561)
- Merchant Taylors' School, England (1561)
- Elizabeth College, Guernsey, Channel Islands (1563)
- Sir Roger Manwood's School, England (1563)
- Felsted School, Essex, England (1564)
- Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England (1564)
- Highgate School, London, England (1565)
- John Beddoes School, England (1565)
- Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford, England (1566)
- Rugby School, England (1567)
- Brentwood School, Essex, England (1568)
- Colfe's School, England (1568) refounded (1652)
- St Edmund's College, Hertfordshire, England (1568)
- Bury Grammar School, England (1570)
- Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, England (1571)
- St Olave's Grammar School, England (1571)
- Harrow School, England (1572)
- Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Barnet, Hertfordshire, England (1573)
- Dartford Grammar School, Kent, England (1576)
- Pate's Grammar School, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England (1576)
- Sutton Valence School, England (1576)
- Woodbridge School, England (1577)
- The Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School, England (1580) (possibly 1565)
- St. Bees School, England (1583)
- Oakham School, England (1584)
- Ubbo-Emmius-Gymnasium, Leer, Germany (1584)
- Uppingham School, England (1584)
- Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Ashbourne, England (1585)
- Newport Free Grammar School, England (1588)
- Spalding Grammar School, England (1588)
- Queen Elizabeth's High School, England (1589)
- Conyers' School, England (1590)
- Queen Elizabeth's Hospital, England (1590)
- Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield, Yorkshire, England (1591)
- Stonyhurst College, England (1593)
- Emanuel School, England (1594)
- Wellingborough School, England (1595)
- Whitgift School, England (1596)
- Aldenham School, England (1597)
- Aylesbury Grammar School, Buckinghamshire, England (1598)
See also
- List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom
- List of the oldest public high schools in the United States
- The oldest independent schools in the UK
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