The roots of Fagerlia Upper Secondary School AF extend back to 1864, when Aalesund with its then 1,850 inhabitants got its first school of secondary education. The school’s building was situated on the same location as the main building of the present-day Aalesund Upper Secondary School, and was lost in the great fire of 1904. The existing edifice was completed on this site in 1907.
In 1869 the first “batch” of A-level school leavers, two young men, were ready to write their finals, which had to take place at the country’s only university, the Royal Frederik in Christiania, the modern-day University of Oslo.

With the Act of Secondary Education of 1935 the introduction of comprehensive schools was established. This resulted in the requirement of all children having to attend a seven-year primary school before any further education could be entered into. In chartered towns one opted for the system of a five year run for A levels and a three year option for those with less advanced aspirations (the so-called intermediate school). This translated in a set-up where those heading for A levels, attended the first two years of the intermediate school before going on to the three years of high school. This applied equally to those choosing to have their main emphasis on either the arts, the sciences or nature study.

In 1973 Aalesund Upper Secondary School moved to new premises at Fagerlia, some 3-4 km east of the city centre. The new building, together with an adjacent sports hall, cost kr 18.2 million Norwegian kroner at the time. This grammar school had approximately 900 pupils divided into three year levels of ten classes each.

Fagerlia Upper Secondary School HH/HE/SH has its origins from the academic year 1935-36 when the Aalesund Municipal School of Domestic Science came into being. The school made use of the previous premises of the Aspöy Primary School in Kirkegata (Church Street). The subject range consisted, amongst others, of cooking, clothes laundry, handicrafts, nutrition study and hygiene instructed in six-month courses, 30 scholars attending each such course.

In connection with school reforms implemented in the 1960s and later, the educational programme was gradually altered and aligned with modern-day requirements. Amongst the courses being offered were a year-long domestic science course, and six-month courses in sewing, textile arts and crafts, and general design.

In the autumn of 1979 this school, which was a purely vocational institution, moved into new premises at Fagerlia, and the new entity was given the name Fagerlia Upper Secondary School, encompassing the sections of domestic science and of arts and crafts. The number of pupils was 112. As of 1986 the school offered tuition in nurse aid training, and from 1992 music, dance and drama as well.

In 1998 the provincial politicians decided to join together the two Fagerlia schools under one common leadership and that the name should be Fagerlia Upper Secondary School. The merger took place as of the scholastic year 2001-02. The amalgamated school could offer a grammar school section in addition to tuition within music, dance and drama, arts and crafts, domestic science, and media and communications. Looking upon the sheer number of pupils the new school became one of the largest in the province of Möre and Romsdal. The media and communications section was later transferred to Aalesund Upper Secondary School with effect from the academic year 2007-08.

For the scholastic year 2009-10 the current school can offer: Grammar school with a choice of specialization in either of the following: Sciences, linguistics, social studies, arts and crafts, sports or international class. In addition one has the options of music, dance and drama, nurse aid training and several smaller special pedagogical groups that require individual attention.

The school has presently 850 scholars and 133 employees, of the latter number 108 belong to the teaching staff. The annual budget runs to approx. 69 million Norwegian kroner.