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The world of Harry Potter is filled with magical schools from all over the world. Ilvermorny is the home of wizarding education in America, but Europe has quite a few different locations for magical children to hone their skills. Fans were first introduced to a few of these other schools thanks to the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is one of these schools in the Harry Potter franchise. They generally sit on the lighter side of the spectrum, portrayed as good, posh and proper, if a little stuck-up about it. There is plenty more to be learned about the school, though, as it serves roughly half of Europe.
8 It's Not An All-Girls School
A common misconception about Beauxbatons, which exists thanks to Goblet of Fire's film adaptation, is that only girls are allowed to attend the school. In the books, this is not the case, although it's true that the female students get much more of the focus.
The school has a headmistress, and their Triwizard champion, Fleur Delacour, is the only female champion in the tournament, so it's understandable why those behind the films made such a decision. However, several references are made to male Beauxbatons students in the book. In fact, the very first student from that school Harry sees is a boy.
7 It's At Least 800 Years Old
Like Hogwarts, Beauxbatons can track its history back almost a thousand years. Whilst Hogwarts is slightly older, it cannot be understated what an important institution Beauxbatons has become, and why it is still considered one of Europe's top schools of witchcraft and wizardry.
While no date is explicitly given, the first Triwizard Tournament took place in 1294, meaning the school must have been well-established by that point. Whether it was earlier that century or even older, what's clear is that Beauxbatons has just as rich a history as Hogwarts.
6 Located In The Pyrenees Mountains
Like most magical schools, Beauxbatons goes to great lengths to ensure that their school cannot be found by muggles or unfriendly wizards. Like Hogwarts, it is unplottable, meaning its location cannot be recorded on a map, and it is well hidden from prying eyes.
The Pyrenees Mountain range runs along the border of Spain and France, although given the name and culture surrounding it, the school is assumed to be somewhere on the French side of the mountain range. This location means it is quite far from most major population centers, and being high up in the mountains means muggles are never going to stumble across it. It's also not the easiest place for fans to visit.
5 They Travel In a Carriage The Size of a House
Something the Goblet of Fire film adaptation failed to portray adequately was the scale and majesty of some features of the other schools. One of the most notable is the carriage on which the Beauxbatons students and teachers arrive. In the film, it is quite fancy, but there's nothing remarkable other than that. Viewers are left to assume that, much like the tents, it's bigger on the inside.
In the books, this carriage is both described and depicted as a large house, a mansion, for all intents and purposes. This is how students are transported to Beauxbatons every school year. However, it's unclear how long that lasted, as it has been noted as breaching the Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.
4 Nicholas Flamel Attended
Nicholas Flamel is a fairly important figure in the wizarding world, although fans never directly meet him in the books. He only came to be depicted on screen in the Fantastic Beasts branch of the film franchise, and fans may be surprised to know it was Beauxbatons that taught him everything he knew.
The man is regarded as the greatest alchemist in history, being the only person to have successfully created a Philosopher's Stone, which the first book centers around. He used the Elixir of Life it produces to live over 600 years, before the stone was eventually destroyed to keep it out of Voldemort's hands.
3 They Take Their O.W.Ls a Year Later
As in real life, the specifics of the educational system vary significantly from country to country, and each school has its own system for examining its students. It's unknown what Beauxbatons calls their qualifications, but they are equivalent to the O.W.Ls that Hogwarts students take in their fifth year.
At Beauxbatons, they clearly thought an extra year of education would be prudent for this, as students don't take their exams until the sixth year. However, this raises some questions as to what students do in their seventh year. In Hogwarts, students have two years to complete their N.E.W.T qualifications (their seventh-year exams), but nothing is known about the Beauxbatons equivalent.
2 Features of the Chateau
As can be expected with high-class French architecture, the Beauxbatons Chateau is a sight of near-unparalleled beauty. The grounds feature fountains carved out of the mountains, including one that honors alumnus Nicholas Flamel, which is said to have the ability to heal and beautify any who bathe in it.
Inside, the extravagance continues, as the students are serenaded by Wood Nymphs during meal times, and their Christmas decorations are a sight to behold. The hall features ice sculptures of all kinds of beautiful, magical creatures. These sculptures never melt and glitter brightly in the hall. With another Fantastic Beasts film on the horizon, it's possible fans may still get to see this depicted on screen.
1 They've Won The Triwizard Tournament 62 Times
Although in the Goblet of Fire, Fleur Delacour unfortunately finishes last in the Triwizard Tournament, Beauxbatons have a history of being extremely successful in the past instances of the tournament. Given the tournament's reputation for being a deadly competition, it's a testament to how well the school trains its students.
They are said to have an intense rivalry with Hogwarts over the tournament, as the Scottish school has 63 wins to their 62. It's an impressive number no matter which way they look at it, but they'll be looking to claim back that one win Hogwarts has over them eventually.