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History of the Royal High School

The Royal High School is generally considered as the oldest in Scotland and one of the oldest in Europe, tracing its roots back to 1128. Originally associated with Holyrood Abbey, the school started life as an institution for the training of Franciscan Monks. Through the centuries, it has been located at many sites throughout the city including Blackfriars, Infirmary Street, Jock's Lodge, the famous building on Calton Hill and its current site at Barnton, which it moved to in 1968. Up until the 1970s, the Royal High School (commonly known as "The RHS") was an all-male Public School. Many of its former pupils over the centuries made contributions to Scottish life. The two who are most famous internationally were Sir Walter Scott and Alexander Graham Bell. In 1974 it became a co-educational state school.