| abstract | - The Victoria Cross has been awarded 1,355 times to a person of any rank in any service and civilians under military command. This list however only shows 317 winners awarded mainly to non-state schools with more than thirty schools known to have educated more than one VC recipient. Only five of the schools with more than one VC recipient are state schools (Dudley Public School, George Mitchell School, Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School for Boys, Royal Grammar School High Wycombe and Royal High School Edinburgh). "Although the terms of the creation of the VC emphasised that it was open to both services and to all ranks, it is clear that there is a bias towards officers and NCOs" as "War was an aristocratic trade and military glory reserved for Nobles and princes". Also, education only became compulsory in the UK in the 1870s, and secondary education only some time later, so many private soldiers who won the Victoria Cross in the past may never have gone to school, or never gone to secondary school (see British Army during the Victorian Era). Four schools educated the only three boys who went on to win the Victoria Cross and Bar, Christ's College, Canterbury, New Zealand (Charles Upham), Magdalen College School/Liverpool College (Noel Godfrey Chavasse) and Westminster School (Arthur Martin-Leake). The bars are included as separate awards in the columns of the table. The order of the schools is by the number of Victoria Crosses received.
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