Boston Latin School Site - America's First Public School

Boston Latin School Site - America's First Public School

Photo: Daderot, public domain (cropped)

A stop on Boston Freedom Trail, a free self-guided tour.

Look down at the colorful sidewalk mosaic on School Street. It marks the site of the first public school in what became the United States. Boston Latin School was founded on April 23, 1635, and this street still carries its name.

The students who studied Latin and Greek here included John Hancock, Samuel Adams and the minister Cotton Mather. Benjamin Franklin attended too, but left after a short time, so the school likes to call him its most famous dropout. His bronze statue, unveiled in 1856, stands in the courtyard of Old City Hall behind the fence.

Not everyone was welcome in these classrooms. For more than three centuries the school admitted only boys, and girls were not accepted until 1972. The school moved long ago and still teaches students today in another part of Boston.

While you're here, look for the bronze donkey in the courtyard, a playful nod to the Democratic Party.

Getting here: Turn right from Tremont Street onto School Street and walk a short way downhill; the mosaic is in the sidewalk in front of Old City Hall.

Did you know?: Boston Latin School is older than Harvard, which was founded a year later in 1636.

Photo op: Frame the Franklin statue through the courtyard gate with the ornate Second Empire facade of Old City Hall behind it.

More on Wikipedia: Boston Latin School · Benjamin Franklin · Old City Hall · Cotton Mather

Stops on this tour

  1. Boston Common - Where Cows Grazed and Redcoats Camped
  2. Massachusetts State House - The Golden Dome
  3. Park Street Church - Brimstone Corner
  4. Granary Burying Ground - Patriots at Rest
  5. King's Chapel - The Church That Ran Out of Money
  6. Boston Latin School Site - America's First Public School
  7. Old Corner Bookstore - Where Books Changed America
  8. Old South Meeting House - The Tea Party Starts Here
  9. Old State House and Massacre Site - Shots on State Street
  10. Faneuil Hall - The Cradle of Liberty
  11. Paul Revere House - Home of a Busy Silversmith
  12. Old North Church - Two Lanterns in the Steeple
  13. Copp's Hill Burying Ground - A View Across the River
  14. USS Constitution - Old Ironsides Still Afloat
  15. Bunker Hill Monument - The Battle on Breed's Hill