Bonus: Erasmus Hall High School, 1786

Though it no longer functions as its original institution, Erasmus Hall Academy, the building still stands in Flatbush, Brooklyn. It was named for Desiderius Erasmus, who was a Dutch Renaissance Humanist and was also the first secondary school chartered by the New York State Regents, and was turned over to the public school system in 1896. It expanded at the start of the 1900s as Brooklyn’s population grew, and it is now a designated New York City landmark and a museum displaying the school’s vibrant history. When Erasmus Hall High School started doing poorly, the city closed it in 1994. Today, it stands as Erasmus Hall Educational Campus and is home to five separate small schools.

For more about the history of New York City colleges, read about The Top 15 Secrets of Columbia University in NYC, NYC’s Forgotten Rutgers Female College, and The Past Life of CUNY’s Hunter College. Get in touch with the author @sgeier97