Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
4
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Longwood
How to get there
- Fenwood Road • 5 min walk
- Longwood Medical Area • 5 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
2,697 within 3 miles
Attractions
989 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
47 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
19
Average
17
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Traveller
New York City, NY3,305 contributions
Nov 2021
I visited the site of the original Boston Latin School in November 2021 as part of doing the Freedom Trail. This is the oldest public school in the United States. I was reading my Freedom Trail guide book when I realized that I had walked past it and had to backtrack. Right next to the King's Chapel, there is a mosaic in the sidewalk which marks the spot of the Old Boston Latin School. The mosaic is beautiful and worth a photo (I had to wait until people cleared out so I could take a photo). The building near the mosaic is the Old City Hall. There is a statue of Benjamin Franklin in front.
Written December 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grover R
Pensacola, FL22,266 contributions
Sep 2024 • Couples
On the Freedom Trail just behind King's Chapel is the site of the first Public School in Boston. Unfortunately, so much of the structure has disappeared. All that is left to make the spot is a mosaic in the ground. The site is on the former city hall for Boston.
Written September 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
adjfl
Los Angeles, CA47 contributions
Mar 2015 • Solo
I graduated from this school and this school has changed several locations since its foundation in 1635, predating Harvard University by one year. Legend has it that Harvard University, the oldest university in the country, was originally founded to receive the first graduating class of Boston Latin School. Thus BLS is like an alma mater, and indeed every year Harvard receives the most graduates from BLS. Benjamin Franklin was a famous dropout. The current location of BLS is on 78 Ave. Louis Pasteur, Boston, right at the Green line E line Longwood Ave Station (3rd stop once the train comes up to the ground with the first being Northeastern University, the second being Museum of Fine Arts).
BLS is still one of the best high schools in the nation being the top school in the gold medal list by the U.S. New annual ranking. It claims several Harvard presidents and Massachusetts governors and 5 of the signers of Declaration of Independence as well as famous politicians, musicians, authors, et al. as famous alumni, such as Leonard Bernstein, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine, et al. Definitely worthy the visit for historical reasons.
BLS is still one of the best high schools in the nation being the top school in the gold medal list by the U.S. New annual ranking. It claims several Harvard presidents and Massachusetts governors and 5 of the signers of Declaration of Independence as well as famous politicians, musicians, authors, et al. as famous alumni, such as Leonard Bernstein, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Thomas Paine, et al. Definitely worthy the visit for historical reasons.
Written February 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tRAVellerOfTheW0rld
Almere, The Netherlands1,723 contributions
Jul 2013 • Family
We passed the former site of the Boston Latin School while walking the Freedom Trail during our three days visit to Boston. Embedded in the sidewalk on School Street is a mosaic commemorating the site. So why would anybody give an excellent rating to a former School site? Because, first of all it was the first public School in America, founded in 1635 and completed in 1640. Even before that classes were held at the home of the first headmaster. The original wooden school was demolished in 1735, to make place for the expansion of the King's Chapel, but continued in different locations in Boston. It still exist today and is located at Avenue Louis Pasteur in Boston.
Boston Latin School was intended for the sons of Boston's elite. It was set up after the example of Boston Grammar School in Lincolnshire, England, where many of Boston’s original settlers came from. It was a boys only school and four years of Latin was mandatory for all pupils. Five signers of the Declaration of Independence went to this School: Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine and William Hooper. It is believed that Harvard College was founded for Boston Latin’s first graduates. Furthermore Boston Latin School produced four Harvard presidents and four Massachusetts governors. Boston Latin School didn't begin admitting females until 1972. Until then, girls attended Girls Latin School, founded in 1877, which is now Boston Latin Academy. Boston Latin Academy now admits 1,700 students each year, Boston Latin School 2,400.
Their motto is: 'Sumus Primi', which means we are the first, referring to the school and to the academic status.
Boston Latin School was intended for the sons of Boston's elite. It was set up after the example of Boston Grammar School in Lincolnshire, England, where many of Boston’s original settlers came from. It was a boys only school and four years of Latin was mandatory for all pupils. Five signers of the Declaration of Independence went to this School: Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine and William Hooper. It is believed that Harvard College was founded for Boston Latin’s first graduates. Furthermore Boston Latin School produced four Harvard presidents and four Massachusetts governors. Boston Latin School didn't begin admitting females until 1972. Until then, girls attended Girls Latin School, founded in 1877, which is now Boston Latin Academy. Boston Latin Academy now admits 1,700 students each year, Boston Latin School 2,400.
Their motto is: 'Sumus Primi', which means we are the first, referring to the school and to the academic status.
Written February 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DPD123
Pittsburgh, PA174 contributions
Jul 2012 • Couples
Please note to your left as you stand facing the Old City Hall and look down. You will see a beautiful mosaic embedded in the sidewalk. The banner reads "The Latin School." It opened its doors in 1635 and when the street was laid out in 1640, the street was named after it - School Street. Alumni included Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams and Cotton Mather, to name a few. The shadows of the day did not permit a picture but it would have been a lovely memento of our trip to Boston.
Written July 9, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark42139
New York City, NY1,650 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
This is the site of the first public school in the U.S. and where Benjamin Franklin and other founding fathers went to school.
Written August 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sofia_M_D83
Montreal, Canada108 contributions
Oct 2015 • Solo
It is worth taking a look at this pretty colourful little mosaic not far from Old City Hall on School Street.
Written November 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas V
Oakland, CA18,446 contributions
Oct 2024 • Couples
A famous institution, long the most important public high school in town. Lots of famous people have attended and been taught in an old and classic building in the center of town.
Written October 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
retireeVancouver
Vancouver, Canada1,828 contributions
Sep 2019
The marker for Boston's first school is on the sidewalk adjacent to the Old City Hall. Surrounded by a red brick frame, this marker reminded me of a child's hop-scotch, except that it had images of children playing on a school ground in the squares as well as the usual numbers and alphabet letters around the whole image. At the top of the "hop-scotch" was an image of the school that once stood at this location. The script in the hop-scotch gave the dimensions of the school, built in 1635, as 40 feet long x 20 feet wide and that it had 2 levels of windows - 8 on the ground floor and 4 in the roof. The students were taught reading, writing, mathematics and Latin judging by the Latin inscriptions on the image and the word in its name. Also shown were the names of famous alumni like Sam Adams, John Hancock, Ben Franklin, and RW Emerson. On a wall above the sidewalk memorial to Boston's first public school was a framed poster providing more information about the school - its founding date, the naming of School Street, and that by 1745 Indian students were accepted and didn't have to pay. Our guide on the Freedom Trail walk pointed out this site to us; otherwise we could have missed it as we would have been looking for a red-brick school building.
Written October 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
on_the_go_98765
Tucson20,571 contributions
Sep 2019
Puritans stressed education as it was necessary to be able to read the bible. This Boston Latin School (boy's school) was established in 1635 but you'll not be able to tour it unless you are a Bostonian and have a child being considered for admission. Today, 2,400 pupils attend this prestigious school.
It is still a very imposing landmark along the Freedom Trail and sits behind the King's Church Burial Ground.
It is still a very imposing landmark along the Freedom Trail and sits behind the King's Church Burial Ground.
Written October 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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