Boston is commonly known as a college town, but it is also the birthplace of public education. The Mather School, established in 1639 near what is now Pleasant Street in Dorchester, was the first school supported by tax dollars and free for students. The school was originally a one-room schoolhouse, but an expanded facility by the same name was built in 1694 at a different location. A fire house now sits on the site of the old school.
Another historic moment in education was the establishment of Harvard College in 1636 in Cambridge. Today, Harvard is America's oldest institution of higher learning and one of the most prestigious universities in the world. And as for Boston, Wikipedia lists over 50 higher education facilities in the region.