There were a large number of schools established in the first years of Benicia's history, which was the source of the unusual nickname of "Athens of California".  The first two were Blake's School for Boys and the Benicia Young Ladies' Seminary, both founded in 1852.   Blake's school briefly closed in the financial crisis of 1854 to 1855 but was purchased and reopened under the name of Benicia Collegiate Institute by C.J. Flatt.  One of their most famous graduates was Joseph McKenna who was a supreme court justice.  The school closed in 1867. 

  The Young Ladies' Seminary operated from 1852 to 1886 under the direction of Miss Mary Atkins.  Between 1865 and 1871 it was owned by Mr. and Mrs. C.T. Mills and was the first setting of Mills College, the woman's college now located in Oakland, California. 

   The Catholic Church transferred the Dominican seminary of San Domingo from Monterey to Benicia in 1854 and founded a small Catholic Church on the site as well as a new monastery called St. Dominic's.   The Dominican archbishop in San Francisco asked the Dominican sisters of the Santa Catalina Convent in Monterey to also move to Benicia.  The St. Catherine's Convent and School was established in 1854.  Many of the daughters of Benicia citizens attended the school including Luisa and Maria Vallejo.  The convent was moved to San Rafael in 1899 but the school remained in operation until 1962.  During these years, Benicia was a center of refinement and culture among remote California villages and rough gold mining camps.  It was also considered an excellent location for the schools because there were not the distractions of theaters and music halls but quiet, refined living.