Define “School”

“Before the 1830s, education was largely an “informal, local affair,” in which Catholic, Protestant, and other schools competed for pupils. Often local governments would provide modest aid to schools, albeit in an unsystematic manner. But there certainly was no conception of a “public” school, neither in the United States nor anywhere else in the Western world.”

– Robert P. Murphy (4)

Families educated their children by matching up with other wealthy families in their area to hire a tutor to teach them all together. The schoolhouse would be local so it would be accessible to all children involved and formal to the extend that the parents felt necessary.

 

Types of Colonial Schooling:

Dane Schools – Women taught reading and writing in their homes

Latin Grammar Schools – Exclusive prep schools for boys

Apprenticeships – Boys learned with a teacher while girls learned from their mothers