In this article, based on the analysis of written documents and monographs, we will discuss the legislative foundation of secondary education in the Russian Empire.

In order to navigate in the diversity of laws we will try to make a conditional difference in the periods of legislation in the sphere of education. First of all we will analyze the situation in the education domain in the 17th century. The first attempts to organize a unified school system throughout the country were made just at that time, but the first state school system was established only in the 19th century due to the reforms of 1802-1803. The establishment of the Ministry of Public Education, Preliminary Regulations concerning public education, and University Regulations led to the fact that in November of 1804 the “Regulations of Educational Institutions Subordinate to Universities” were established. Under the new law, education is divided into the following types: university, gymnasium, county, and parochial. All these educational institutions were closely linked.

In 1820-1830s the state promoted the principle of social condition in education. In 1828 new regulations of education were established, under which the types of schools remained the same, but the connection between a gymnasium and a county school was broken. The new regulations provided that every type of school should be destined for a particular social category.

The 1860-1870s occupy a special place in the history of Russian Empire. The reforms of Alexander II led to the adoption of more liberal laws in this field. In 1863 the university regulations were changed, followed by the establishment of secondary schools regulations in 1864. The regulations of 1864 provided that anyone who wanted to learn, regardless of social status and religion, could enroll in gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums. After the reform of 1864 there were three types of secondary education in Russia. There was introduced a new type of school with an incomplete education, pro-gymnasium, with a four-year period of schooling. The same year the Regulations of Elementary Public Schools were established, under which the institutions of Zemstvo, local urban administrative authorities, public organizations, and individuals received the right to open such schools.

A new stage in the development of secondary education began at the time when count D. A. Tolstoy was the Minister of Public Education. In 1871-1872 the new Minister, an adherent of classical education, has introduced compulsory study of classical languages in all secondary schools. Non-classical lyceums were abolished, and instead there were created non-classical secondary schools, whose graduates could not continue their studies at universities, but only in technical institutions of higher education. These laws have reduced the role of non-classical schools, though the country needed professionals in the field of natural sciences.

Despite all the advances in the field of education during the 19th century, the level of primary, secondary, and higher education in Russia was still much lower than in European countries.