Early Schools

 During the colonial and early  national periods, there was very  little schooling for the majority of  the boys and girls. It was not  uncommon for boys of wealth to  have private tutors or to be sent  from home for their education.  Tutors frequently lived with private families or taught the children of a few families who lived close together.

At times, the clergy, in addition to their regular duties, undertook the education of children. Schools were established as a necessary adjunct to the churches. The earliest schools in Baltimore were established by individuals who sought to support themselves by instructing the young. Yet, despite rather modest beginnings, interest in education increased rapidly as the city grew, and by the turn of the century, teachers were so numerous in Baltimore that it was difficult to keep track of them. Schools of many types and descriptions–primary and secondary–were open to those children whose parents had the wherewithal to pay.

By the early part of the nineteenth century, the need for adequate educational facilities for poor children had become apparent. Primary schools, which were established to help meet this deficiency, were largely the work of charity associations and church groups. Charity schools were also established by philanthropists.

Plans for establishing an academy in Baltimore were made as early as March 7, 1786. Enthusiastic community spirit and cooperation attended the establishment of the first Baltimore Academy. Unfortunately, it did not receive continued support and was discontinued soon after December 1787. The Methodists were responsible for the next Baltimore Academy. In May 1796, they purchased a large dance hall in Baltimore and turned it into a schoolhouse for the education of youth of any faith. Within three months, the academy’s enrollment reached more than three hundred.

The general school law of 1826 empowered the mayor and City Council of Baltimore to establish a separate system of public or primary schools in the city. It was not until March 1828, however, that an ordinance was passed creating a Board of Commissioners of Public Schools invested with power to establish and regulate a system of free public schools for the City of Baltimore.

After careful consideration of the situation, the board submitted its views to the City Council. Thus, it was given permission to receive the city’s distributive share of the school fund for the years 1825-28 from the Treasurer of the State, which amounted to only $1,431.41. On July 21, the board resolved to establish four schools; by September 9, teachers were selected; and on September 21, 1829, the first public school in the City of Baltimore was opened. By December of that year, three schools were operating, with an enrollment of 269 pupils.