Helston Community College has the most pupils in Cornwall. Its South Site building was formerly (1939-1972) Helston Grammar School. Formerly located at Penrose Road (which became the secondary modern school), the grammar school had a long history dating back to the 16th century. Derwent Coleridge was a headmaster there, and his pupils included Charles Kingsley, John Duke Coleridge, Richard Edmonds, Thomas Rowe Edmonds, John Rogers, Henry Trengrouse and James Trevenen. Another former headmaster was the botanist and author Charles Alexander Johns (1843–47), who was also a former pupil.