Pesantren is a traditional education that is considered less alert in the times. For this reason, pesantren are less competent in the current era of education. Especially related to culture and maintaining the morale of the next generation. This study tries to reveal the extent of the contribution of pesantren in contemporary education. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method with the type of literature research. in the description can be concluded several things; First, Islamic boarding schools in their history have given birth to many great kiai who are quite influential in the social order in Indonesia. Second, Islamic boarding schools which have become part of the tradition have developed intellectual vehicles through a series of educational mechanisms for students by teaching the Qur'an, hadith, and classical books. Third, in the flow of development, the pattern of education in pesantren has evolved from traditional to modern. However, there are still Islamic boarding schools that persist in the traditional pattern.