The idea of a gymnasium in Šiauliai was raised in 1838 by local Lithuanian nobles and city's Jewish community.

[1] They argued that it was not enough for the Kovno Governorate to have only one gymnasium in Kaunas which was transferred from the Kražiai College.

The nobles and the Jews promised to provide funds for the construction of the school[1] and purchased a plot of land in 1839.

The school charged tuition (initially 10, increased to 40 rubles per year in 1859),[3] but provided waivers for good grades or for less affluent students.

[2] The school also had a library which started from about 2,000 books transferred form Svislach.

After the closure of the Šiauliai Public Library in 1864, its holdings grew to 5,731 books in 1866.