======Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** Educational Institution
  * **Location:** Global
  * **Owner/Residents:** Varies by institution; typically includes a [[Headmaster]] or [[Headmistress]], a staff of [[Professor|Professors]], and [[Student|Students]].
  * **Key Features:** Magical education, locations concealed from [[Muggle|Muggles]] (often [[Unplottable]]), long-standing traditions, and unique school cultures.
=====Description and History=====
A **School of Witchcraft and Wizardry** is an educational institution designed to instruct young [[witch|witches]] and [[wizard|wizards]] in the use of [[magic]]. These schools provide a structured environment where students learn to control their innate magical abilities, study various branches of [[magic]] such as [[Transfiguration]], [[Charms]], and [[Potions]], and prepare for life within the global [[Wizarding World|wizarding community]].
The establishment of formal magical schools became essential following the implementation of the [[International Statute of Secrecy]] in 1692, which required the wizarding world to hide its existence from [[Muggle|Muggles]]. Schools are typically situated in remote, secluded locations and are protected by a host of powerful enchantments to prevent discovery. For instance, [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] appears as a crumbling ruin to non-magical eyes.
While homeschooling and smaller tutelage arrangements exist, larger, state-recognized schools provide a more comprehensive curriculum. Each school possesses its own unique history, traditions, and educational focus. The three most famous schools in [[Europe]] are [[Hogwarts]], [[Beauxbatons Academy of Magic]], and the [[Durmstrang Institute]]. It is known that there are eleven prestigious, long-established magical schools worldwide. (Pottermore)
=====Role in the Story=====
Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and [[Hogwarts]] in particular, serve as the primary setting for the entire //Harry Potter// series. The school environment is a microcosm of the larger wizarding society, reflecting its values, prejudices, and political conflicts. [[Hogwarts]] is not merely a place of learning for [[Harry Potter]], but also the location of his first friendships with [[Ron Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]], his early confrontations with [[Lord Voldemort]], and his discovery of the secrets of his own past.
The concept of multiple schools is central to the plot of //[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]//, where [[Hogwarts]] hosts the revived [[Triwizard Tournament]]. The event brings together students from [[Beauxbatons]] and [[Durmstrang]], showcasing the differences in their cultures and magical training. This international gathering serves as the backdrop for [[Lord Voldemort]]'s return to power, demonstrating that the threats facing the wizarding world are global in scope. In the final book, [[Hogwarts]] transforms from a place of refuge into the final battleground of the [[Second Wizarding War]], with students and faculty uniting to defend it in the [[Battle of Hogwarts]].
=====Known Schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry=====
The original novels explicitly name and describe three magical schools. Additional schools have been identified through supplementary official materials.
  * **[[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]**:
    * **Location:** The Highlands of [[Scotland]], [[Great Britain]].
    * **Description:** A large, seven-story castle founded over a thousand years ago by the "[[Hogwarts Founders|four greatest witches and wizards of the age]]": [[Godric Gryffindor]], [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Rowena Ravenclaw]], and [[Salazar Slytherin]]. Students are sorted into four corresponding [[Hogwarts House|Houses]]. It is considered one of the finest magical schools in the world.
  * **[[Beauxbatons Academy of Magic]]**:
    * **Location:** The [[Pyrenees]] mountains, [[France]].
    * **Description:** A beautiful [[château]] known as the [[Palace of Beauxbatons]]. Students, led by [[Headmistress]] [[Olympe Maxime]], arrived at [[Hogwarts]] for the [[Triwizard Tournament]] in a giant, powder-blue carriage pulled by twelve winged [[Abraxan|Abraxan horses]].
  * **[[Durmstrang Institute]]**:
    * **Location:** The far north of [[Europe]], though its precise location is a closely guarded secret.
    * **Description:** A castle with a reputation for emphasizing the [[Dark Arts]] in its curriculum. During the [[Triwizard Tournament]], it was led by [[Headmaster]] [[Igor Karkaroff]], a former [[Death Eater]]. The school is known for having taught the dark wizard [[Gellert Grindelwald]]. Students arrived at [[Hogwarts]] in a magical ship that surfaced in the [[Great Lake]].
  * **Other Major Schools (Pottermore/Wizarding World):**
    * **[[Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]**: Located on [[Mount Greylock]] in [[Massachusetts]], [[United States]]. (Pottermore)
    * **Uagadou**: The largest of all wizarding schools, located in the [[Mountains of the Moon]], [[Africa]]. Its students are particularly skilled in self-[[Transfiguration]]. (Pottermore)
    * **Mahoutokoro**: Located on the volcanic island of Minami Iwo Jima, [[Japan]]. Students wear enchanted robes that change color as their magical knowledge grows. (Pottermore)
    * **Castelobruxo**: A golden temple-like school located deep within the [[Amazon rainforest]] in [[Brazil]], protected by mischievous [[Caipora]]. (Pottermore)
=====Behind the Scenes=====
J.K. Rowling has stated that there are eleven long-established and prestigious wizarding schools registered with the [[International Confederation of Wizards]]. (Pottermore) She explained that while most countries have smaller magical schools, the number of students in many areas is small, making homeschooling a more common practice.
In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, the students of [[Beauxbatons]] are depicted as being exclusively female, and the students of [[Durmstrang]] are depicted as exclusively male. This is a cinematic invention; in the book, both schools are co-educational. [[Parvati Patil]] and [[Padma Patil]] are asked to dance by boys from [[Beauxbatons]] at the [[Yule Ball]]. (film)