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Dollar Academy is a co-educational private school based in Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1818 at the bequest of John McNabb, a former alleged slave trader who bequeathed part of his fortune - £60,000, around £170 million in today's terms (annualised GDP) - to provide "a charity or school for the poor of the parish of Dollar wheir I was born"•. Until the introduction of compulsory primary education in 1887, the academy provided free education for local children who could not afford to pay. Those who could afford it paid on a 'sliding scale'. The school building was designed by renowned Scottish architect William Henry Playfair. The school has a sound academic reputation, and is particularly known for its rugby team: considered to be the best in Scotland. The school has a current attendance of 1400. It may have been the first co-educational boarding institution in the United Kingdom. The school also has a pipe band, which is of an extremely high standard; they are unbeaten in competition this millennium. Its CCF (Combined Cadet Force) is also very strong, having won the Scottish military skills competition for the last two years. The school has also been the first Scottish school to win the shooting championships at Bisley. Dollar Academy provides education for students through to the age of 18. The interior of the main school building was gutted by a fire in 1960, but Playfair's Greek-style facade remained intact and the school was re-opened by Her Majesty The Queen. Almost all its pupils go on to university, with a significant number winning places at Oxford and Cambridge. Current fees range from around £8,000 per annum (day pupils) to £19,000 (boarders), with the Academy attracting students from across Scotland as well as internationally.
Boarding Houses Their is space for 90 boarders in Dollar Academy's four boarding houses. Boarding at Dollar has been called 'the standard by which all other boarding in Britain should be set' by a recent HMIe inspection. Both weekly boarders (Monday - Friday) and full boarders are accepted. Though the majority of pupils do not board, every pupil belongs to a House (girls) or Quint (boys). Originally there were five boys' houses, hence the Dollarism 'quint'. Today there are four Houses/Quints: Old Academicals' children are traditionally put into the same house as their Father/Mother/Brother/Sister. The fifth Quint /House colour was orange, however not many recent former puipls remember the name of the Quint/House that it corresponded to. Old Academicals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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