The Meritorious School N°1 «Don José de San Martín» is the second school of education created in the Province of Buenos Aires. It began working according to the procedures carried out by the Presbyter Don Pedro Santiago in 1811.

In 1812, a petition drawn up by the Presbyter Martínez was submitted to the Cabildo. And, in the session of June 19th of that year, it was agreed to deliver two dozen booklets (Silabarios)

In 1816, the youth of the Guardia del Monte asked for the creation of Escuela de Primeras Letras. Its foundation is recorded in certificate, file N°3 folder 76, page 78, of the Archivo General de la Nación (AGN). The school began its operation, under the guidance of Presbyter Martinez.

The continuous incursions of the natives added to the precariousness and the school interrupted the classes when the Presbyter Martínez left the place. However, the Lancaster School’s regulations affirm that in 1818 the school was still «standing at the edge of the church

The next evidence is the order signed on December 31st, 1822 by Bernardino Rivadavia who established to give 120 pesos for school supplies.

The first known location of the school dates from 1828, and reads: “the aforementioned piece is two blocks away from the church and the square, four from the centre and one from the lagoon ”. There are no traces of this site, but according to the testimony of Jorgelina Viñas, it was in Manuel de Pinazo and Santos Molina. (New Education
Magazine Series No. 13 of 1966).

Due to general Juan Galo’s armed uprising, the warlike acts arrived in Monte and resulted in the damaging and cease of
operations of the school. Consequently, Dr Saturnino Segurola, who was the inspector of schools, asked for authorization to survey for a new building.

On February 13th, 1830, the Government of Juan Manuel de Rosas issued an order to grant the budgetary amount for the prompt execution of a new building. The neighbours collaborated and presented a budget of 1,632 Argentinian pesos which was approved, adding 575 Argentinian pesos to it to finish the building.

Towards 1852, the School N°1 was only for boys, while the School N°2 dictated classes for girls. Both of them were under the supervision of “La Sociedad de Beneficencia” (the Charity Society), the Townhall and “La Comisión Inspectora de Escuelas” (The Inspector Commission of Schools) which was integrated by the neighbours. Later that year, the schools started functioning in the city hall building, and years later, they moved to the town hall until 1904 when both schools were fused into one.

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In 1922, the school N°1 was moved to the current building of the school N°16 and it remained there for 24 years.

On November 25th of 1944, the Main Stone was put in place and, on June 25 of 1946, the current building on the Avenue San Martín and Eva Perón was inaugurated.