Heritage · Khumjung
Khumjung School and the Himalayan Trust story
See the school Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust built at Khumjung in 1961, the first of many schools and clinics in Khumbu, and hear from your guide, often a former pupil, how it changed Sherpa lives. Visits are arranged with respect for lessons.
After the 1953 Everest climb, Hillary kept coming back to Khumbu. In 1960 and 1961, on a long scientific expedition, he asked Sherpa friends what he could do for them. The answer was a school. With a new charity, the Himalayan Trust, he built two classrooms at Khumjung in 1961, carrying materials in from far below, and Sherpa families provided labour and land.
The school grew with the village. Today it teaches more than 350 children from pre-school to secondary level, many of them boarding from villages too far to walk daily. Former pupils have become doctors, teachers, pilots and leaders of mountaineering companies, and many of Khumbu's guides learned their English here. A memorial to Hillary stands in the grounds.
Visit with consideration. During term, mornings are for lessons, so we come in the afternoon or at weekends, look from the gate and grounds, and only enter classrooms when the headteacher invites us. Donations are best made through the Himalayan Trust rather than in cash on the spot. Pencils and sweets handed out on the trail do more harm than good; please do not.
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Questions
When was Khumjung School founded?
In 1961, by Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust, at the request of Khumjung's Sherpa families. It began with two classrooms and was the first of many schools the Trust helped build in the Everest region. Today it teaches more than 350 pupils from pre-school to secondary level, and many Khumbu guides and leaders are former students.
Can tourists visit Khumjung School?
You can see the school from its grounds and gate at any time, and visits inside can sometimes be arranged through your guide outside lesson hours. Please do not walk into classrooms uninvited or photograph children without permission. If you want to help, donate through the Himalayan Trust or similar organisations rather than giving items directly.
What is the Himalayan Trust?
The Himalayan Trust is the charity Edmund Hillary set up around 1960–61 to work with Sherpa communities. It has supported schools, hospitals at Kunde and Phaplu, health posts, teacher training, bridges and water projects across Solukhumbu. Separate Himalayan Trust organisations in New Zealand, the UK and elsewhere continue the work with Nepali partners.
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