The Gabrovo Mutual School is the first Bulgarian secular school, founded in 1835 on the idea and with the funds of Vasil Aprilov (1789 – 1847) – a successful entrepreneur, educator, donor and writer, supported by his prominent compatriots. The school first introduced teaching according to the "mutual teaching method" of Bell-Lancaster, inviting specially trained neophyte Rilski as the first teacher and setting an example for the opening of dozens of Bulgarian mutual schools in the following years.

Even before the Liberation, in 1872, the Gabrovo School grew into a high school, and shortly after the restoration of the Bulgarian state, in 1881, it was named the Aprilov High School. Since its opening until today, the school has been educating students without interruption. Its beautiful building is the work of the Renaissance master Usta Gencho Kanchev - he began construction in 1851 and completed it in 1872. Today, the building is a cultural monument of national importance and houses the Aprilov High School and the National Museum of Education.

The official seal of the Gabrovo Mutual School was made in 1839, four years after its foundation. In its center is depicted a rooster (symbol of dawn and awakening) perched on top of the school building. The same image can be seen on the seal of the Archery School made in 1844. The print in the exhibition is a reproduction made from a print.

The exhibition also exhibits a curious document issued one year after the school became a high school: Report on the successes, behavior and absences of a student from the Gabrovo School dated December 24, 1873. In the report you can see the subjects studied at the time and the grades of the student.