The Lawrence School, Lovedale, was founded on September 6th, 1858, and is named after Maj Gen Sir Henry Lawrence, who first projected the idea of founding a school on the Nilgiris for the children of serving soldiers and ex-soldiers of the British Army in India so that they could have the benefit of a sound education in a bracing and healthy climate . The school fulfilled the objects of its founder until May 1949 when it was taken over by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to be run as a public school, open to all, with 40 per cent places reserved for the children of defence personnel. The administration of the school is now vested in an autonomous body the Board of Governors appointed by the Government of India which comprises four government and four non-government members. The Secretary, Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Education, is the Chairman of the Board.

The school has 685 students of which  163 are girls. It is neither exclusive nor for an aristocratic elite. It has forty Government of India merit scholars and ten receive other scholarships. It tries to achieve the total development of the child and to equip it as best as possible to be a confident, useful and valuable citizen of the country. In fact, the school is a miniature India, for here are children and teachers of very many communities from all parts of India and overseas. The Government of India merit scholarships and the various other scholarships we have here make it possible for the children of the less privileged classes to enjoy the educational facilities provided here. The children are thus brought up in an atmosphere that fosters a spirit of co-existence and respect for the feelings and beliefs of others, and a natural breaking down of communal and caste barriers. The school is secular and non­sectarian.

Its  alumni  are  spread  all  over  India and abroad  and  they  are doing  extremely  well  in their chosen professions. This school has its old boys and girls in  the All India Services, IFS, other services and in corporate bodies.  Some are the  recipients  of  national  awards.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India