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The first schools in what is now West Virginia began in the Eastern Panhandle and Greenbrier Valley. A 1748 survey by young George Washington mentioned a school near Moorefield. By the mid-1700s, schools existed in places like Romney and Shepherdstown, where both German and English classes were offered.
These early schools were called "private subscription schools" because families paid tuition, which prohibited most students from attending. Classes were often held in homes or barns, and teachers were traveling schoolmasters with varying skills. After the American Revolution, Virginia took more responsibility for educating poor children. In 1796, a law created school districts to help expand education, yet public education would continue to be largely unavailable until after West Virginia statehood.
In Western Virginia, wealthy families sent their children to private academies for advanced education. These schools taught subjects like Latin, science, philosophy, and grammar to prepare students for college. Brooke Academy opened in 1778 as the...
Virginia created a “Literary Fund” in 1810 to support education, but there wasn’t enough money to meet the needs. In 1818, funds were set aside to help poor White children attend school, but many parents didn’t use them because they didn’t want to...
By 1840, illiteracy was on the rise everywhere in Virginia. At a key 1841 meeting in Clarksburg, Henry Ruffner called for free schools that served both rich and poor. Tensions grew between eastern and western counties—westerners criticized the Uni...
By 1860, Western Virginia had only one institution of higher education, the private Bethany College, founded in 1840 by Alexander Campbell. Other schools like Rector College, Weston College, and Allegheny College closed before the Civil War. Marsh...
In 1863, West Virginia’s first constitution created a public free school system. Counties were divided into smaller areas to manage schools locally, leading to many one-room schoolhouses across the state.They had names like Hickory Grove and Lost ...
Early Black education in West Virginia grew from self-help, support from White allies, the Freedmen’s Bureau, churches, and public officials. Although the 1863 state legislature agreed to educate Black children, funding didn’t follow until later. ...
By 1910, West Virginia schools had fallen significantly behind the national average. The school year was 125 days, shorter than the national 150 days, and teachers earned less money. However, Alexander L. Wade, superintendent of Monongalia County ...
In 1867, West Virginia started "normal schools" to train teachers, beginning at Marshall College and Fairmont State. Other normal schools opened in West Liberty, Athens, Glenville, and Shepherdstown. Schools for training African American teachers ...
West Virginia faced problems with school funding and unfair differences between areas. In 1907, funding for public schools were cut due to the statewide elimination of a property tax, but local areas could still raise taxes through their own levie...
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, public schools struggled. Many closed, school years got shorter, and teachers sometimes didn’t get paid. In 1932, a law lowered property taxes to help the economy, but it drastically cut funding for school...
In the 1940s and 1950s, West Virginia began giving free textbooks to elementary students and started non-partisan school board elections. In 1947, a nine-member non-partisan state Board of Education was created to oversee public schools and most s...
After the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, West Virginia began integrating its schools. Governor William Marland supported the decision.Most of West Virginia worked toward school integration, though some areas near the V...
From 1950 to 1970, West Virginia's population and school enrollment dropped dramatically, with elementary schools losing 22% of their students. The decline was partly offset by the start of public kindergarten in 1973 and fewer high school dropout...
Since the late 1900s, education has become an increasingly controversial issue in West Virginia. Much of it dates to the 1974 conflict over adoption of new language arts textbooks in Kanawha County. School board member Alice Moore, supported by ma...
In the 21st century, West Virginia has had trouble finding enough teachers for certain subjects and areas. In 2015, a new law let schools hire people with a college degree and work experience, even if they hadn't gone through traditional teacher t...
In the 21st century, West Virginia students have scored well below the national average on standardized tests. Challenges have included the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, low teacher pay, and a rise in student homelessness and foster care. West...