Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Where did William Shakespeare probably attend school?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, detail of an oil painting attributed to John Taylor, c. 1610. The portrait is called the “Chandos Shakespeare” because it once belonged to the duke of Chandos.
William Shakespeare likely attended the local grammar school in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.
While no 16th-century pupil lists have survived to provide definitive proof, it is widely accepted that he attended the school, which was located adjoining the medieval Chapel of the Guild of the Holy Cross. As the son of a man who served as the town's bailiff, it would have been expected for him to receive an education there, which was provided free of charge by the borough. His studies at the school would have focused primarily on Latin, including reading, writing, and speaking the language, as well as studying Classical poets, moralists, and historians.12