Cranleigh School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) in the village of Cranleigh, Surrey.

History

It was opened on 29 September 1865 as a boys' school 'to provide a sound and plain education, on the principles of the Church of England, and on the public school system, for the sons of farmers and others engaged in commercial pursuits'. It grew rapidly and by the 1880s had more than 300 pupils although it declined over the next 30 years and in 1910 numbers dropped to 150. Cranleigh started to admit girls in the early 1970s and became fully co-educational in 1999. The current headmistress is Samantha Price with former East Housemaster, Simon Bird, as the deputy head. In 2009 the Good Schools Guide described the school as 'An all-rounder’s paradise, yes, but the academic offering can stand up to almost any school in the land' The school's academic block, the van Hasselt Centre was opened by Kate Adie, the Trevor Abbott Sports Centre was opened by Sir Richard Branson and the West House was opened by Baroness Greenfield. Recent building projects have included two academic blocks, two girls' boarding houses, refurbishment of the art studios, and a remodelled entrance. Cranleigh School also has a sister school based in Abu Dhabi which opened in September 2014 and three schools in China.

Notable former pupils

Notable masters

Old Cranleighans

Former pupils of the school may join the Old Cranleighan Society. About 6,500 past pupils are currently members. The Old Cranleighan Sports Club in Thames Ditton in Surrey is owned by the Society.

Southern Railway Schools Class

The thirty seventh steam locomotive (Engine 936) in the Southern Railway's Class V, built in 1934 was named "Cranleigh" after the school. This class of locomotive was known as the Schools Class because all 40 of the class were named after English public schools.