Most pupils come from the associated primary schools of Borrowfield, Ferryden, Lochside, Rosemount, Southesk and St Margaret's.

[10] He taught and circulated copies of the Greek Testament amongst his pupils and fled to England in 1538 when investigated for heresy by William Chisholm, the then Bishop of Brechin.

He studied the original Greek of Aristotle under Pierre de Marsilliers in 1557 before passing to the University of St Andrews in 1559.

[15] He used these words to describe his years of instruction: " The maister of the scholl, was a lerned, honest, kynd man, whom also for thankfulness I name, Mr. Andro Miln.

In the time of the trying of the matter, he saw me so humble, so feared, so grieved, yield so many tears, and by fasting and mourning at the school all day, that he said he could not find in his heart to punish me farther.

But my righteous God let me not slip that fault, but gave me a warning, and remembrance what it was to be denied with blood, although negligently; for within a short space, after I had caused a cutler, newly come to the town, to polish and sharp the same pen-knife, and had bought a pennyworth of apples, and cutting and eating the same in the links, as I put the slice in my mouth, I began to lope up upon a little sand brae, having the pen-knife in my right hand, I fell, and struck myself, missing my belly, an inch deep in the inward side of the left knee, even to the bean, whereby the equity of God's judgment, and my conscience struck me so, that I was the more wary of knives all my days.

[19] Alexander Petrie, made master in 1622, received a salary of 25 merks per quarter for Candlemass, Lamass, and Hallowmass.

[28] The teaching of French is noted in the early history of the Grammar School; German was not taught until the beginning of the nineteenth century.

[31] Built close to the site of the former grammar school, the foundation stone was laid on 27 February or 15 March 1815 by Mrs Ford of Finhaven.

[33] Its inception as an academy was part of a broader 18th century development in the Scottish school system towards the inclusion of more practical subjects such as navigation, drawing, arithmetic and book-keeping, alongside the traditional tuition of the Classics.

[28][34] This was seen in other Scottish provincial towns and reflected a commitment to learning which was "rooted in the past, but re-energized and adapted" due to the effects of urban growth and the rise of a commercial elite.

[35] The wide curricular provision was such that an 1866 report complained that "Classics do not occupy a prominent place, and nothing else has been substituted in the way of sound and systematic training".

[9] In the mid-nineteenth century, a bequest left by John Erskine of Saint James Parish, Jamaica to the sum of £3000, provided education for eight orphaned boys.

[36] John Pringle Nichol was rector from 1828 to 1834 and was qualified to teach Classical Literature, English Literature, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Geography, History, Natural History, Geology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, Anatomy, Physiology, Animal Mechanics, Moral Philosophy and Political Economy.

[9][40] Yet by 1846 it is clear that Montrose Academy had come to replace the old Grammar School, and it is mentioned as the prominent educational institution in the town.

The classrooms were heated with open fires during the winter and the walls were decorated with pictures, photographs and maps gifted by former pupils.

[46][55] Montrose Academy is a community school, and its catchment area extends to the surrounding villages of Craigo, Hillside and Ferryden.

[31] The distinctive facade is the only part of the original building to survive but is a fine example of Scottish architecture in the Neo-Classical style.

[31] The 1841 addition of two ground floor wings situated north and south of the original facade, provided more space for teaching.

[54] In the 1960s two memorials were added to the east exterior wall of the Assembly Hall, bearing the names of former students who had died in both world wars.

[86] In general the school aims to foster the potential of each individual child as part of a holistic approach to education.

[87][88] It issues a code of conduct which states that pupils should be punctual and considerate of others; behave sensibly; dress appropriately for school; use their common sense; be prepared for class and work hard.

[90] All year groups have classes in "Social Education" which focuses on health, moral issues, personal and careers development.

[99] The 2010 report noted that pupils in the Senior School tended to perform less well and that "at all stages, young people could attain and achieve more".

In 2009 Angus Council announced that it was dropping Advanced Higher Business Management, History and Modern Studies from the curriculum.

[108] From 2010 Montrose Rotary Club is working to establish links between the school and Lawson Academy in Nyumbani, Kitui District, Kenya, a village created to accommodate HIV orphans and grandparents affected by a high incidence of AIDS in the region.

[110] Since 2007 an exchange programme has been running between Montrose Academy and Forest Park High School in Virginia, United States.

[112][113][114][115][116] Montrose Academy has a debating society and has entered teams into the Scottish National Youth Parliament Competition.

A new swimming pool is being built attached to the Sports Centre; work started in 2011 and the project will be completed by October 2012.

[120] During this time improvements are being made at Montrose Academy including the installation of a small gym, new flooring, changing rooms and showers to the cost of £140,000.