See How the Oldest School in the World Is Still Used Today

With summer coming to a close extremely quick, everyone has their minds on back to school. Whether you are a parent with kids going back, a kid who is going back yourself or simply have friends who are returning to the classroom, back to school is everywhere.

Speaking of schools, just how old is your local high school? Most likely it’ll be a few decades old. Your local university? Maybe a few centuries at most. And while that may seem like a lot, it pales in comparison to Chengdu Shishi High School.

This school which resides in the Chengu, Sichuan province in China holds the rare distinction of being the oldest recorded school in the history of the world. The school first opened its doors all the way back sometime between 143-141 BC, well over 2000 years ago.

During the rule of the Han Dynasty (which went from 206 BC and 220 AD) the governor of the province Wen Weng decided to establish this school. However, the school wasn’t around for long before it ran into some problems. Sometime during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Chengdu and the school itself was devastated by a fire.

The school was eventually rebuilt in 194 AD and remained an educational institution through many different dynasties, though its name would often change. However, during the Ming Dynasty that ran from 1368 to 1644, it was destroyed, The war that occurred late in the dynasty caused the school to be nothing more than a pile of rubble.

However, in 1661, they rebuilt the school on the site and it continued again to be renamed with each dynasty that came into power. And over the next few hundred years, the school became better and better, and by 1948, it was the model for secondary schools in all of China.

In fact, the school is still fully functional today and is actually one of the best high schools in China. It has a highly selective admission and getting in the school is a great honor. Most of the students at the school are above average and the school is one of the most prestigious you can find.

It is quite amazing that not only has a school remained (for the most part) in this same area for over 2000 years, but is still among the best in a country that has thousands and thousands of newer and fancier schools.