Founded in 1869 as the first secular and private school in Uruguay and the main inspirer of the Varelian Reform, it provides day education to boys and girls aged 2–18.

[5] The Escuela y Liceo Elbio Fernández was founded on September 3, 1869, by the Society of Friends of Popular Education (Spanish: Sociedad de Amigos de la Educación Popular, SAEP),[6] a non-profit institution created in 1868 with the aim of promoting popular education, being inspired by the Varelian Reform –reform carried out by José Pedro Varela in 1876 that established free, compulsory and secular education in Uruguay–.

[7] Among the young founders and first members of the society are Carlos María Ramírez, Elbio Fernández and José Pedro Varela.

[10][11] In 2004, the school became the first private institution in the country to offer a technological baccalaureate in administration, construction, sports and recreation, information technology, and tourism, granting students technical degrees upon graduation from high school.

[13] The Elbio Fernández School campus is currently located in multiple buildings in barrio Palermo, Montevideo, depending on the educational stage.