Svendborg Gymnasium was founded in 1872 as Svendborg Realskole. The school was originally located in Bagergade, one of Svendborg’s oldest streets. The school initially offered an elementary programme with a school-leaving examination. In the 1909 the new Education Act was introduced, restructuring the educational system in Denmark. As a result, the school's name was changed to Svendborg Realskole og Gymnasium and the first upper secondary class graduated in 1912 with only six students.
The official opening of the extension at Svendborg Gymnasium & HF, 2006
In 1920, the school became publicly owned and changed its name to Svendborg Statsskole before again changing its name in 1932 to Svendborg Statsgymnasium. The number of students enrolled at Svendborg soon meant that the school needed to be relocated to larger facilities, and in 1932 the school was moved to a new building at Viebæltet. In the 1970s the school was relocated again to its present location at A.P. Møllersvej. In 1986 the school again changed its name to Svendborg Gymnasium. In 2006 a new extension was added and a new sports centre was built. The school's current name Svendborg Gymnasium & HF was instituted in 2007, following the introduction of a HF program at the school.
