You Might Be Surprised By The Oldest High School In NY

You might be surprised by which high school is the oldest in New York State. It's not located in the city you most likely think it is.

Photo by Feliphe Schiarolli on Unsplash

For many of us, high school was one hell of a ride. For many New Yorkers, it's the last stop before real life hits. For others, it's the pre-game to college. Some people remember their high school years as full of torment others fondly remember it as an amazing time.

I attended public school all my life, including high school. My mother is from Western New York, but I didn't grow up here (although I spent many summers here with my grandma). My high school is actually the oldest in the state I grew up in (not New York). I remember the days vividly. I won't go into details, but my school had thousands of students and while we had great times, there were many moments of turbulence.

If you grew up in New York, you may be surprised by which high school is actually the oldest in the state. You might think it's located in New York City, but it's not.

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Which High School Is The Oldest In New York State?

Before we get to the oldest high school, let's take a look at when New York actually became a state, for context.

In 1780, New York ceded area to the United States that became part of the Northwest Territory in 1787. New York ratified the U.S. Constitution on July 26, 1788; it was the 11th of the original 13 states to join the Union.

With that said, the oldest high school in the state was established not long after NY's statehood.

The Oldest High School In New York State Is...

Google Maps

Canandaigua Academy in Canandaigua is the oldest high school in New York State. The Canandaigua Academy was established in 1791. It is also among the top 10 oldest high schools in the United States, landing at number 8. Family Minded created a list of the oldest high schools in each state,

Originally a private boy’s school, the educational institution has since been converted into a co-ed public school for grades 9 to 12 and has previously received the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.

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You can check out the full list here.

Some of the Oldest Stores in Upstate New Year (A 113 Year Old Ford Dealership??)

As the new year begins, lets take a moment and give a rousing cheer for some businesses in Upstate New York that have welcomed in way more than one new yea's eve.

How about a 96-year old Chinese Restaurant? A 135 year old jewelry store still in the same family? A 156-year-old department store? And how about the oldest Ford dealership in New York State (113 years!). All in Upstate New York..

Congratulations to all of these legendary businesses who have kept their doors open for generations!

These Are the Oldest Colleges in Upstate New York!

Graduation season is upon us, both high school and college. This gallery takes a look at some of the oldest colleges and universities in Upstate New York. Remarkable in that a couple of them date their founding back to the 1700s!