What You Didn't Know About Boston Latin School

Boston Latin School, founded 1635, is the oldest school in America. Period. It is one of three exams in Massachusetts (the other two are Boston Latin Academy, formerly Girl's Latin, and the John D. O'Bryant). But, as prestigious as the school is, there are still some things most people don't know about good ol' BLS.

Numerous Famous Dropouts

You might be surprised to learn that some of the most famous people we all learned about in our history classes didn't graduate from Latin. A few names you may be familiar with:

Benjamin Franklin - Franklin spent only two years at the school before he dropped out. But hey, who needs a high school diploma when you're one of the Founding Fathers of the United States?

William Lloyd Garrison - Garrison never finished his education at the Latin School, but still went on to be a successful journalist, social reformer and abolitionist.

Louis Farrakhan - Farrakhan, the head of the Nation of Islam, actually went on to graduate from English High School. English, however, was founded in 1821, making BLS almost 200 years older BUT (this is an insult to current Latin students, as well as alumni) English is often credited as being the oldest public high school in America. Hmm, yeah, that would be no.

All Boys for More Than 300 Years

Boston Latin didn't begin admitting females until 1972. Until then, girls attended Girls Latin, which is now Boston Latin Academy. However, Girls' Latin wasn't founded until 1877. Latin Academy now admits 1,700 students each year, almost 1,000 students less than BLS's 2,400.

Thanksgiving Day Tradition

Latin and English High have been battling it out in Thanksgiving Day football games every year since 1887. This rivalry between the two schools is the oldest continuously operated rivalry in the U.S. And it makes for a good retelling. At the Pep Rallies the day before Thanksgiving, a few students will act out the first game between Latin and English. Naturally, Latin wins every time.

Our Newspaper Win Awards

The Argo, first published in 1969, isone of two Latin School publications, the other being our literary magazine, the Register. It has won several journalistic awards: