Sunday, April 23 — America’s first — and oldest — school is celebrating its 382nd birthday today. The Boston Latin School started in 1635 with a handful of students meeting in the headmaster’s home. Stressing a classical education and the development of independent thought, the school has long been considered one of the top public secondary schools in the nation. Its list of graduates includes John Hancock, George Santayana, and Leonard Bernstein. Ben Franklin is one of its famous dropouts. Today, there are over 77 million children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country — from nursery school to college. They comprise 25.3 percent of the entire population age 3 and older. Of those students, 16.5 million are in high school.
You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online here.
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