Eton College
Coordinates:
51°29′30″N
0°36′34″W
/
51.49167°N 0.60944°W / 51.49167; -0.60944
The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton
beside Windsor
Motto
Floreat Etona
(May Eton Flourish)
Established 1440
Type
Independent School
Religion
Anglican
Head
Master
Anthony Little MA
Provost
William Waldegrave
Founder
Henry VI
Location
Eton
Windsor
Berkshire
United Kingdom
Staff
135 (approx.)
Students
1309
Ages
13 to 18
Houses
25
Colours
Eton blue
Publication The Chronicle, The Spectrum,
The Arts Review
Former
pupils
Old Etonians
Website
www.etoncollege.com
Eton College, also known as Eton, is a Brit-
ish independent school for boys, founded in
1440 by King Henry VI. It was founded as the
King’s College of Our Lady of Eton be-
side Windsor.
It is located in Eton, near Windsor in Eng-
land, north of Windsor Castle, and is one of
the original nine English public schools as
defined by the Public Schools Act 1868.
It has a very long list of distinguished
former pupils,
including eighteen former
British Prime Ministers. Traditionally, Eton
has been referred to as "the chief nurse of
England’s statesmen",[1] and has been de-
scribed as the most famous public school in
the world.[2]
The Good Schools Guide called the school
"the number one boys’ public
school,"
adding, "The teaching and facilities are
second to none."[3]
Overview
The school is headed by a Provost and Fel-
lows (Board of Governors), who appoint the
Head Master. It contains 25 boys’ houses,
each headed by a housemaster, selected from
the more senior members among the teach-
ing staff, who number some 160.
Almost all of the school’s pupils go on to
universities, about a third of them to Oxford
or Cambridge.[4]
The school’s Head Master, Anthony Little
MA, is a member of the Headmasters’ and
Headmistresses’ Conference and the school
is a member of the Eton Group of independ-
ent schools in the United Kingdom.
History
Eton College was founded in 1440 by Henry
VI as a charity school to provide free educa-
tion to seventy poor boys who would then go
on to King’s College, C