John Winthrop School is located in the North End of Bridgeport, Connecticut. This city is the largest in the state with a population of 140,000 and a school population of more than 23,000. The school first opened as an elementary school in 1955 and a middle school wing was added in the late 1960s. Today, the school serves nearly 680 students and a staff total of 55. Named for John Winthrop, Jr., the colonial governor of Connecticut from 1657 to 1676, the school honors the memory of a man whose father, John Winthrop, Sr., served as a colonial governor of Massachusetts and was the first person from North America to be invited to the prestigious Royal Society. This historical landmark has been educating students since 1955.