Ananda College (Sinhala: ආනන්ද විද්‍යාලය), Colombo, is a national school for boys, with a student population exceeding 7,000 across 13 grades from primary to secondary classes, on a campus of 20 acres (81,000 m2) in the suburb of Maradana. The College, incepted as a result of the Sri Lankan Buddhist Renaissance which took place in the late 19th century, continues to be a premier boy's school in the country, producing countless Sri Lankan erudite scholars, professionals, military servicemen and all around well-disciplined citizens. It was established on November 1, 1886, by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott and became a government school in 1961. As of 2016 an academic staff of more than 150 was led by Mr. S.M. Keerthiratne. Ananda College is often cited as