In the context of rapid scientific and technological advancements during the 1950s and the intensifying global competition in these fields, the demand for qualified professionals in science and technology increased significantly. In response, the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched the "Science Project" in 1959, aiming to modernize science education in member countries. This initiative influenced secondary education reforms in Turkey. Following recommendations made at the VII National Education Council, the
Turkish Ministry of National Education initiated preparations to establish a specialized high school focused on science education. On April 3, 1962, Ministerial Order No. 675 authorized the creation of an investigative committee titled
"Commission for the Establishment of a Science High School". The committee's report formed the basis for subsequent discussions within the ministry, and by early 1963, the proposal was developed into a collaborative "quadruple project" involving the Ministry of National Education, the
Ford Foundation,
Middle East Technical University (METU), and the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID). , in line with the overall campus design. The project officially commenced on October 23, 1963. According to the plan, the program would be jointly implemented by Ankara-based universities, including METU and
Ankara University,
Istanbul University's Faculty of Science and
Florida State University in the United States. The architectural design of the school was commissioned to Turkish architect
Behruz Çinici. The campus was constructed on a remote hilltop within the METU Forest in Ankara. Prominent Turkish scientists, including
Cahit Arf and
Erdal İnönü, played advisory roles in the school's founding. American mathematician
Eugene P. Northrop also served as an advisor to the planning commission. The school, officially named
Fen Lisesi (
English: High School of Science), opened under the General Directorate of Secondary Education during the 1963–1964 academic year. It retained its unique status as the only science high school in Turkey until 1982. As more science high schools were established across the country in subsequent years, the original institution was renamed
Ankara Fen Lisesi (
English: Ankara High School of Science) to distinguish it from its successors. The school's founding coincided with the introduction of the
New Math movement in the United States. Educational materials developed by the
School Mathematics Study Group and similar reform initiatives in physics, chemistry, and biology were translated into Turkish and integrated into the curriculum. Throughout its history, the school has attracted academic visitors. Notably,
James D. Watson, recipient of the 1962
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, visited the campus and delivered a lecture during the 1960s. == Notable alumni ==