Eton College (ˈiːtən) is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore, making it the 18th-oldest school in the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). Originally intended as a sister institution to King's College, Cambridge, Eton is particularly well known for its history, wealth, and notable alumni ().
Eton is one of only three public schools—along with Harrow (1572) and Radley (1847)—to have retained the boys-only, boarding-only tradition, which means that its boys live at the school seven days a week. The remainder (such as
Charterhouse in 1971,
Westminster in 1973,
Rugby in 1976,
Shrewsbury in 2015,
and Winchester in 2022) have since become co-educational. Eton has educated prime ministers, world leaders, Nobel laureates, Academy Award and BAFTA award-winning actors, and generations of the aristocracy, having been referred to as "the nurse of England's statesmen".
The school is the largest boarding school in England ahead of Millfield and Oundle. Eton charges up to £46,296 per year (£15,432 per term, with three terms per academic year, for 2022/23). Eton was noted as being the sixth most expensive HMC boarding school in the UK in 2013–14.
Grammar school#HistoryLatin school and Neo-Latin#Latin in school education 1500-1700
Eton College was founded by Henry VI as a charity school to provide free education to 70 poor boys who would then go on to King's College, Cambridge, founded by the same king in 1441. Henry used Winchester College as a model, visiting at least 6 times (in 1441, 1444, 1446, 1447, 1448, 1449, 1451, 1452) and having its statutes transcribed. Henry appointed Winchester's headmaster, William Waynflete, as Eton's Provost, and transferred some of Winchester's 70 scholars to start his new school. There is a rumour that he also had carts of earth from Winchester transported to Eton.
When Henry VI founded the school, he granted it a large number of endowments, including much valuable land.