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About Milton Hershey School

About MHS History

Milton Hershey School is one of the world’s best private schools, where qualifying students in pre-K through 12th grade live on campus and receive an exceptional educational experience—with all costs covered. Milton and Catherine Hershey founded the school in 1909 with money they earned from the chocolate company. Since then, the lives of more than 11,000 children from qualifying families have been transformed through high-quality education and structured home life.

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History of MHS - Milton Hershey and the boys

Making History

Take a look back at more than 100 years of MHS history and tradition. It started as a school for orphans focused on agricultural and vocational training. Now, it serves as a home-away-from-home for more than 2,000 students each year.

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Fast Facts

Get to know Milton Hershey School in three minutes or fewer with our Fast Facts school summary.

Read Our Fast FactsLearn about Mr. Hershey

About the School - President Gurt and the state of the school

Office of the President

President Pete G. Gurt ’85 designed an ambitious strategic plan to lead MHS into the future with Our Future in Focus.


State of the School

Get a full picture of the current state of the school from our interactive Brown and Gold annual report. Then, hear from MHS thought leaders about topics such as education, whole child care, college and career readiness, diversity and inclusion, safety, and more.

Read the ReportView Thought Leadership

Virtual Campus Tour

Navigate through our modern campus, getting a closer look at our top-tier facilities, inside classrooms and student homes, and about all that MHS has to offer. You can begin by clicking on the icon below.

More MHS Resources

With a history as long and as incredible as ours, there is a lot more to learn about MHS.

MHS student asks a question in class.

Frequently Asked Questions

Review some of the most common questions about the school and programs.

MHS-about-visit-founders-hall

Campus Landmarks

Our historic campus is home to several iconic buildings. Visitors can tour Founders Hall.

MHS elementary boys student home family

Contact Us

We’re happy to help you learn more about MHS or become part of our family.

Catherine Hershey Schools for early learning logo - square admissions

Inspired by Milton Hershey School

Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning is a subsidiary of Milton Hershey School. CHS provides a cost-free educational, social, and cognitive day program to children of lower income from birth to age 5. Its Early Childhood Resource Centers are located in Pennsylvania.

CHS was inspired by MHS and is operated independently of the MHS core model.

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Milton Hershey School does not discriminate in admissions or other programs and services on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religious creed or disability. Read important MHS policies on equal opportunity and diversity, equal employment opportunity, and more.