Bishop Cotton School has a long, prestigious legacy as it was founded over 160 years ago in the beautiful hill station of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. It is one of the oldest boarding schools for boys in Asia. The school’s mission is to strive for the highest standards of total education, empowering men rooted in Indian culture to grow into committed and good human beings contributing to the nation.
History
Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, is the one of the oldest boarding schools in India and Asia, and was founded on  28th July, 1859, by Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton, son of an Army Captain, who died leading his Regiment in battle.Â
Academics
The school has its own curriculum for classes III to VIII. Classes IX to XII follow the CISCE syllabus.
Every boy goes on for tertiary education at the end of year XII, and the success rate for the board examination is usually 100%. The teaching system is backed by a remedial address system, and since the boys and staff are residents, every teacher is accessible at any time if a child seeks help. The school has provisions for helping children with special needs. The school runs The Learning Centre, which is an education centre for non-resident, intellectually-challenged children of Shimla town.
Infrastructure
Far away from the busy schedules, racing timelines and pollution of the modern world and situated in the stunning Himalayas, Bishop Cotton School has been shaping India’s finest young men for generations.
The Bishop Cotton School campus is majestic, with its aesthetic appeal and modern technology. The classrooms are airy, spacious and comfortable. It has well equipped laboratories for Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Science. Moreover, there is an internet browsing centre at the campus. The boys of similar age and house live together in dormitories. They are under the direct control and supervision of their House Masters, Captains and Prefects. The school has a hospital to ensure the health of students. The medical staff is always present, the visiting doctors come thrice a week. The visiting doctor is available at any need of hour. The school library has a stock of more than 12,000 books from all over the world. It consists of novels, periodicals and magazines to keep the students aware of national and international affairs.
Activities
Along with the academics school gives equal importance to the co-curricular activities like sports and hobby clubs. The school provides for a plethora of games and sports. It offers Cricket, Soccer, Hockey and Swimming according to season. The students play tennis, squash, table-tennis, badminton, basket-ball, volleyball throughout the year. Athletics, gymnastics and physical training are also popular among the boys.Â
Bishop Cotton boys are ahead in all walks of successful school life. Debating and Elocution are extremely popular at the school. Slater Debates which happens at BCS is one of the most prestigious inter school debate competitions.  The students learn Indian vocal and instrumental music, western vocal and instrumental music, brass band and choir. The School Band, ‘The Sphinx’ consists of the best musicians who hold concerts for various occasions. Their Annual Music Fest ‘Sparks’ attracts school bands from different places each year. To cater to the varied interests of students, the school offers several clubs to run along with the academic curriculum. The Nature Club, Meteorological Club, Creative Writing Club, Middle School Book Reading Club, Automobile Club and The Quizzing Club.
Alumni
The nation has received some great young minds who have contributed towards its development and our pass outs of this top boarding school in Shimla –