A Turning Point

Education (part 6)

We come to a real turning point in Boston in 1818; this was not that long ago. So the conditions were that the private schools were outpacing the public schools easily. There is consistent growth in private and Christian education. But it is in Boston in 1818 that the first move to expand the public schools at the expense of the private was made. The school committee appointed a subcommittee to make a citywide survey of the schooling situation, which revealed some very interesting facts. About 2,360 pupils attended the 8 public schools in Boston but more than 4,000 attended the 150 private schools. The survey also revealed that over 90% of the city's children attended school despite that fact there were no compulsory attendance laws and the primary schools were private—the Dame Schools. The committee therefore recommended against establishing public, primary schools.