Editing Liepāja (section)

=== History ===
The idea to open a school was born in 1560 during a church survey, and schools existed in Liepāja before 1625. However, it was the granting of city rights that encouraged the further development of schools, as the maintenance of schools was considered one of the city's responsibilities. Both German and [[Curonians|Curonian]] children were encouraged to attend the newly founded school. It was announced to the "non-Germans" that those children who were sent to the school would be freed from all servitude and even freed from serfdom; they would also be given help for further education. At the beginning the school was a one-class school; the second class was opened in 1638; from 1650 the school had 3 classes, and in 1750 the 4th class was opened. In 1788 a new school building was built, and in 1806 the town school was transformed into the county's highest school after 250 years of existence. This county school was attended by [[Krišjānis Valdemārs]] and [[Atis Kronvalds|Kronvaldu Atis]]. In 1866, the county school was converted into the Nikolai Gymnasium. In 1861, a maritime class was opened at the county school, which was added to the Liepāja Maritime School in 1876. The first girls' high school was opened in 1871, and by 1874 there were already 2 girls' high schools, one of which was turned into a gymnasium in 1886. In the following years, the [[Russification]] of schools, which started with the law of 1889, turned all schools into Russian schools, however, there were schools attended by Latvian children in their majority, where Latvian was taught as a subject and religious studies were taught in Latvian. Schools with Latvian as the only language only appeared after Latvia gained independence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1925 |title=Liepājas 300 gadu jubilejas piemiņai, 1625-1925. |url=https://gramatas.lndb.lv/periodika2-viewer/#panel:pp{{pipe}}issue:653588{{pipe}}page:55}}</ref>
[[File:Liepājas ģimnāzija (2).jpg|thumb|Liepāja State Gymnasium No. 1]]
During the First Free State there were three secondary schools, 25 primary schools, two technical schools, a trade school, a secondary school of applied arts, a trade institute, a technical evening craft school, a Jewish craft school, a fishing and fish farming school. There was also a folk conservatory and various evening courses. In December 1919, a separate children's section was opened in the library – the first in Latvia.

After World War II, Liepāja was home to the Liepāja Pedagogical Institute (founded in 1954; in 1945 as the Pedagogical School, in 1950 as the Liepāja Teachers' Institute), the General Technical Faculty of the Riga Polytechnic Institute, a maritime school, a medical school, a polytechnic, the Liepāja Applied Arts High School (founded in 1926), a music school, ten comprehensive schools, two vocational-technical high schools and two technical schools.<ref name=":1" />