Clay County, GA

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Education in Southwest Georgia Schools.

During Georgia's early days, most of the school buildings were cabins built by local farmers. These old field schools stood in a field provided by one of the farmers. Traveling schoolmasters hired by the parents ran the schools. Rich Georgia planters hired private teachers, most of them from New England, to teach their children. Sometimes children from nearby plantations attended these plantation schools. The state began paying schoolmasters' fees for some need children during the early 1800's, and built some public schools. But the schools received little or no state support after they had opened, and had to charge tuition. At some manual-labor schools, students could pay part of their expenses by working on the schools's farms. A few cities and counties provided public funds for education, but most schooling was private. Under the state Constitution of 1868, Georgia established its first public school system in 1872. The system was set up by Gustavus J. Orr, the state commisioner of schools. Orr's basic program is still in operation, and he is known as the father of Georgia's public school system. Some cities and towns had high schools, but the state did not support high schools until 1912.

Schools in Clay County