Boston Latin School

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Boston Latin School, although not an interesting location to visit, is an important part of Boston’s history. As an institution, it has been educating the students of this city for close to 400 years has had a significant impact on the lives of the influential citizens of Boston. Boston Latin School was founded in 1635, for colonists to have a location to teach their children. It was the first public school formally founded in what is now the United States. With increasing populations in the Boston area throughout time, the school was continuously at overcapacity, resulting in it changing locations four times until finally coming to a stop at its current location. Boston Latin School then was able to adopt a testing policy to curb the amount of students attending, as opposed to other public schools, which are unable to use this same method. The school has proven its importance via its historical and classical attitude, its history in its founding of Boston, its diverse learning environment, and the quality of education that it has produced.

Boston Latin School’s curriculum is considered an oddity, as it not only gives free periods to students, which is not allowed by the city, but also requires multiple declamations by the students every term to teach public speaking and confidence skills, and the study of the Latin language.. These oddities, as well as a strict ‘sink or swim attitude,’ have lead to a smaller amount of graduates compared to the number of students initially admitted to the school. This philosophy has led to many drop outs; however many of those who graduate from the school go on to do exceptional things. Due to this, the graduates all receive a 1.0 GPA boost when applying to most Boston or Massachusetts colleges. By having a school that forces growth and applies itself in a classical, it pushes children and young adults to go on to college.

Five of the original six signers of the Declaration of Independence were alumni of Boston Latin School, showing its influence on American history. Modern day alumni who attribute their success make generous donations to the school, such as to the building of computer labs, or exhibits or rare books exclusively for the school library, such as the bible that both Abraham Lincoln was sworn into office with, which Barack Obama borrowed for him to be sworn in with. By having a book of this rarity and historical significance, it shows the amount of trust and value that the city of Boston, and the Library of Congress, believe that Boston Latin School has.

Boston Latin school has a long history of preparing students to become active citizens who can lead a successful life. All the students are encouraged to complete their studies and benefit from the outstanding curriculum that school offers. Undoubtedly, the long history of the school has helped the school leaders to establish a culture of quality education. The experience gained over the years and the legacies left by previous masters explain why the school has strategies for meeting the learning needs of a diverse population The school partners with the Boston Children's Hospital, Boston University, Harvard University, Museum of Fine Arts, as well as the Private Industry Council. Over the years, the school has received recognition from different organization because of its outstanding performance and commitment to provide students with quality education. (Celebrate Boston) The outstanding aspect of the school is that it has a well-established commitment to create a challenging learning experience for many students of cultural or economic backgrounds.