Natalie Zahle was a Danish reform pedagogue (teacher) and pioneer of women's education. Zahle was born on June 11, 1827 in Denmark. After the death of her parents, she went on to study at the Newly founded women's teacher seminary called Den højere Dannelsesanstalt for Damer in 1849. This was the first school in Denmark to offer women a professional academic education. After she graduated she opened her first girl's school called N. Zahle's School in 1851. Her newly founded school became a famous pioneer educational institution. She school quickly grew from having 25 students in 1852 to over 200 in 1862. Zahle employed uneducated female teachers as well as educated male teachers. Zahle's valued her school as an institution of disciplined education, and she also expanded on the traditional view that females should be educated to be accomplished ornaments by education in the arts, and that males, should be educated to be active, hardworking, creative and strong willed professionals. Her school taught both the students and teachers that they can be both. Zahle has been regarded as a pioneer within the women's movement, though she never herself engaged in any women's rights activism in public outside of her educational works. Her outlook on other women's issues was that feminism exists in parallel meaning there can be both difference feminism and equality feminism. Nonetheless, Zahle was a great innovator in reforming the education of women in Denmark during the 19th century. In her school, females were offered primary education as children, and then moved on to secondary education as preparation for university studies. Zahle's achievements and contributions to the world of education did not go unnoticed as she was awarded the Medal of Merit in gold (Fortjenstmedaljen i guld) in 1891. Although Zahle died in 1913, her legacy lives on and is remembered today through the Natalie Zahle Memorial is located in Ørsted Park in Copenhagen, close to the school that she founded in 1862.

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