From a world-record enrollment to a quiet historic campus.
Laosong Elementary School was founded in 1896, making it one of the earliest schools established in Taiwan under Japanese rule — its first classes were held inside a temple. The school moved to its current site in 1907, building wooden schoolhouses that were later rebuilt in reinforced concrete after termite and fire damage in the late 1920s. By September 1966, Laosong had grown to 158 classes and 11,110 students, believed to be a world record for a single elementary school's enrollment. The school was designated a Taipei municipal historic building in 1999, and enrollment has since fallen sharply — around 458 students as of a 2017 news report — reflecting the district's broader population decline. Located on Guilin Road in the heart of old Bangka, Laosong remains directly tied to more than 300 years of settlement history in the district.
老松國小創立於1896年,是台灣日治時期最早設立的學校之一,最初的課程借用寺廟空間上課。1907年遷至現址,興建木造校舍,後因白蟻與火災損毀,於1920年代末改建為鋼筋混凝土建築。1966年9月,全校達158班、11,110名學生,據信是單一國小學生人數的世界紀錄。學校於1999年獲指定為臺北市市定古蹟,此後學生人數大幅下滑,據2017年新聞報導約僅458人,反映萬華人口結構的變化。校址座落於桂林路,位處艋舺舊聚落核心,直接見證了本地超過300年的聚落發展史。
What makes this school worth knowing.
🏆 A Possible World Record
單校學生數世界紀錄
In September 1966, Laosong reached 158 classes and 11,110 students — believed to be a world record for enrollment at a single elementary school.
🏛️ A Municipal Historic Building
臺北市市定古蹟
Designated a Taipei municipal historic building in 1999, the campus's reinforced-concrete schoolhouses, rebuilt after 1920s termite and fire damage, are a protected piece of Taiwan's early education history.
🛕 Classes That Began in a Temple
最初借廟宇上課
Founded in 1896, one of the earliest schools in Taiwan, Laosong's first classes were held inside a temple before the school moved to its permanent site in 1907.
📉 A Century's Rise and Fall
從萬人到數百人
From a world-record 11,110 students in 1966 to roughly 458 by 2017, Laosong's enrollment history closely tracks Wanhua's shift from a booming postwar district to an aging inner-city neighborhood.
At the very heart of old Bangka.
Laosong Elementary sits on Guilin Road in the heart of old Bangka (艋舺), also known as Monga — directly tied to the district's more than 300 years of settlement history. It sits within easy walking distance of Longshan Temple (龍山寺), Bangka's enduring spiritual center, and the traditional herbal shops of Herb Lane (青草巷), making Laosong one of the schools most physically embedded in Wanhua's oldest streetscape.
Find the school.
No. 64, Guilin Rd., Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan
臺北市萬華區桂林路64號
School's Official Website (Chinese) ↗
Last updated: July 2026 · Content adapted and condensed from the school's official Chinese-language website by the Taiwan Bilingual Hub team, not yet reviewed by the school. If you're from Laosong Elementary School and would like to correct or expand this page, please contact us.