Riga State Gymnasium No.1

Riga State Gymnasium No.1 (Latvian: Rīgas Valsts 1. ģimnāzija), the oldest school in the Baltic states, is a state secondary school in Riga, Latvia, providing education for grades 7 to 12.

The school traces its origins to the Riga Cathedral monastery school (Rīgas Doma klostera skola), which was founded in 1211, when Bishop Albert established Riga's cathedral chapter and its monastery. The school operated in the cloister of Riga Cathedral and was originally intended for the preparation of Catholic clergy; its curriculum followed the medieval Latin-school tradition (trivium: grammar, rhetoric and dialectic).

In 1524, during Reformation-era unrest, the Catholic monastery school was closed; in 1528 the Riga City Council reopened it as a secular municipal school and appointed the Dutch Calvinist preacher Jacobus Battus as its first rector in the re-established form. In 1874 it moved into its present premises at Raiņa bulvāris 8, a purpose-built school building designed by Riga's chief architect Johans Daniels Felsko.

The language of instruction was German from the school's foundation until 1892, when during the Russification period, the school was converted (1894) into a classical gymnasium and later a state gymnasium with Russian as the main language. Latvian became the main language of instruction in 1919. After 1919 the school's name and status changed repeatedly under successive regimes; following the restoration of Latvian independence it regained the name “Rīgas 1. ģimnāzija”, and in 1996 it was renamed “Rīgas Valsts 1. ģimnāzija”.

Today, the gymnasium specialises in mathematics, natural sciences and computer science and is widely recognised for its high academic performance in these fields. Admission to the school is based on a competitive entrance examination in mathematics, with up to ten applicants competing for each available place, making it one of the most selective secondary schools in Latvia. Since 1997, the school has operated the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, enrolling approximately 30 students annually. Instruction in the IB programme is conducted in English, providing an internationally oriented academic track alongside the Latvian national curriculum. It was the first school in the Baltic states to offer the IBO Diploma Programme. Each year, a number of final-year students complete the Deutsches Sprachdiplom (DSD) programme by sitting the DSD examination in addition to the Latvian state graduation exams.

Riga State Gymnasium No.1 ranks first among Latvian secondary schools in national performance evaluations. Its students achieve the highest average results in centralised state examinations nationwide. The school is also recognised for its sustained success in various national and international academic Olympiads and subject competitions, particularly in mathematics, physics, informatics and the natural sciences, where its students regularly receive top distinctions.

Many graduates continue their studies at universities abroad, including leading institutions in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and the United States.

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