First public school by Zane Godfrey

Early Seattle schools In the early days after the Denny party landing in 1851The only kids that went to school were those who could afford it. Catherine Blaine was the first teacher in In 1854 in Bachlers Hall had 13 students. In order for Seattle to grow it needed schools but the first schools were private schools.

First public schools The city councilors agreed that a public school system was needed. By 1865 about 75 children lived in the village many roaming the streets. In that same year those children went to the school. In 1870 the first schoolhouse by the Seattle school board opened for classes. Central school had only 2 rooms. By the end of the year 294 students went to that school because more people had heard about it.

Growth of the school district Finally in 1870 the Seattle School Board built Central School or Third Avenue between Madison and Spring Street. In 1882 a $24,000 structure was built at sixth and Madison. The high school class of 1886 attended classes in a portion of the Central School located Sixth and Madison street. by 1912 the district was operating 60 buildings because it was so popular. Seattle struggled to keep up with the demand.

Bibliography Crowley, Walt, and Priscilla A. Long. HistoryLink's Seattle & King County Timeline. Seattle, Wash.: HistoryLink in Association with the University of Washington, Print. Sundquist, Mark. Seattle. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., Print. Warren, James R., and William R. McCoy. Highlights of Seattle's History. Seattle, Wash.: Historical Society of Seattle and King County, Print. MOHAI