The Boston Latin School is a
public "magnet"/"exam school" in
Boston,
Massachusetts. Established on April 23, 1635, it is considered both the
first public school and oldest existing public school in the
United States, along with the oldest public
high school in America (which it shares with the later
The English High School of
Boston of 1821, followed by the
Central High School in
Philadelphia, [1838], and
The Baltimore City College, [1839]) The Public Latin School was a bastion for educating the sons of the
Boston "Brahmin" elite, resulting in the School claiming many prominent Bostonians, Massachusetts citizens and New Englanders as alumni. Its 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. In 2007, the School was named one of the top twenty high schools in the United States by
U.S. News & World Report magazine. As of 2012, the School is listed under the "gold medal" list, ranking 62 out of the top 100 high schools in the United States (21,776 public high schools from 48 states and the District of Columbia were analyzed) by
U.S. News & World Report magazine. The School was named a 2011 "
Blue Ribbon School of Excellence", the
U.S. Department of Education's highest award.