The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. Established on April 23, 1635, it is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States. The Public Latin School was a bastion for educating the sons of the Boston elite, resulting in the school claiming many prominent Bostonians as alumni. Its curriculum follows that of the 18th century Latin-school movement, which holds the classics to be the basis of an educated mind. Four years of Latin are mandatory for all pupils who enter the school in 7th grade, three years for those who enter in 9th. In 2007 the school was named one of the top twenty high schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. As of 2012, the school is listed under the gold medal list, ranking 62 out of the top 100 high schools in the United States (21,776 public high school from 48 states and the District of Columbia were analyzed) by U.S. News & World Report. The school was named a 2011 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, the U.S.