Mayflower School was founded in 1956 by Dr. Tai Solarin, a Nigerian educator, humanist and civil-rights pioneer, together with his wife Sheila Mary Tuer. It is located on a 90-acre campus in Ikenne, Ogun State.
The school’s name was inspired by the historical Mayflower ship, reflecting Tai Solarin’s intention of building a school based on certain ideals of freedom, self-determination, and community.
The founding philosophy emphasises self-reliance, public service, self-sacrifice, and physical toughness. Students are expected to be “rugged,” as Tai Solarin put it. Academics are balanced with practical education: farming and mechanized farming are taught alongside conventional subjects to instill self-sufficiency.
Mayflower is co-educational and boarding, with both boys and girls. When it opened, it had about 70 students; by 1992, it had grown to nearly 1,900, including over 800 girls.
Mayflower alumni are called “Ex-Mays.” Graduates have distinguished themselves nationally and internationally in many fields. Some notable alumni include Oladapo Afolabi (former Head of Service of the Federation), William Kumuyi (founder of Deeper Christian Life Ministry), among others.
