Saint John High School is a high school located in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest publicly funded school in Canada.HistoryOn March 5, 1805, the New Brunswick Legislature passed, "An Act for encouraging and extending literature in the province." The passage of this act led to the creation of The Saint John Grammar School to meet the needs of a "... proper and adequate educational institute" (SJHS) for boys. On March 19, 1805 Common Council granted £100 towards the creation of a school building on Germain St. on land purchased from Mr. Thomas Horsfield. In 1819, Dr. Patterson started his fifty-one year reign as principal of the Grammar School."The Commons Schools Act" of 1871 led to the Grammar School coming under the supervision of the School Board and the creation of the Girls' High School. By 1874 the closing exercises of the Grammar School and the Girls' High School were a joint venture.Victoria Girls School In 1876 the Victoria Building was opened as the girls' high school. Unfortunately, a year later the Great Fire destroyed both this new school and the "... ancient looking wooden building on the corner of Germain and Horsfield" (St. John High). A new Victoria School for girls was opened in 1878 but the Grammar School was located in a variety of buildings until a new high school building was erected on Union Street for both boys and girls. It opened as Saint John High School in 1897. Even though the students were housed in the same building, segregation of the sexes was an entrenched idea. Few students experienced academic instruction from members of the opposite sex. A few activities however, such as the school orchestra created in Saint John High School on Union Street 1898, were co-educational. This building served the students of SJHS until the 1930s when academic demands and curricular innovations necessitated the building of a new school.
