the Freedom Trail: Boston Latin School Site/Benjamin Franklin Statue

Boston Latin School, founded on April 23, 1635, is the oldest public school in America. It offered free education to boys – rich or poor – while girls attended private schools at home. Until the completion of the schoolhouse in 1645, classes were held in the home of the first headmaster, Philemon Pormont. A mosaic and a statue of former student Benjamin Franklin currently marks the location of the original schoolhouse.

The Boston Latin School was founded on April 3, 1635 and it is the oldest public school in America. A mosaic and a statue of former student Benjamin Franklin currently marks the School Street location of the original schoolhouse. Five signers of the Declaration of Independence attended Boston Latin: Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, and William Hooper. Of the five, only four graduated. Franklin, though one of America’s greatest minds, is also one of its most notable dropouts. The original wooden Boston Latin school building was torn down in 1745 to make way for an expanded King’s Chapel, but the school has continued in different locations. It is currently located in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston and as of 1972, admits both boys and girls.

Today, the School’s curriculum follows that of the 18th century Latin school movement, which holds the classics to be the basis of an educated mind. Four years of Latin are mandatory for all pupils who enter the school in the 7th grade, three years for those who enter in the 9th.