No free public schools
The Quakers established no system of public schools, though they were called such quite frequently. As public school sentiment grew, and the Quaker schools correspondingly declined in many places, they often were taken over as public schools. In that sense they were, truly enough, the foundation of public schools. Education was free to the poor; in a few cases the funds might be applied to lower the rates paid by the regular pay scholars, but such were exceptional.
Number of schools about 1750
In 1750 there were about fifty particular meetings in the territory covered by this study; those were under the direction of seventeen monthly meetings.[1340] With the exception of nine of them we know from their reports that they had schools then, or established them in the period following 1750, in which the increased activity and interest of the yearly meeting brought the subject more fully to their notice. From the nature of the reports, it is often impossible to determine the date of establishing such a school, and because of the irregularity of reports it is not known how long a school may have been in operation before reported. For these reasons any estimate such as made above is very unsatisfactory.
It is not to be understood that at the time above mentioned the schools were in all cases “according to the plan” of the yearly meeting. Many reports have been quoted wherein schools were mentioned which did not measure up to the standards.[1341] Some lacked buildings, grounds, Friends as masters, masters’ accommodations, and so forth.
Quaker population one-third of total
Proportionate number of Quakers decreases
Assuming the nine meetings, for which no schools were reported in the minutes, did not have them, there were about forty schools under control of the Quakers, who at that date constituted one-third of the entire population.[1342] The population estimated by Oldmixon was about 100,000 in 1741.[1343] Though the colony increased rapidly by immigration,[1344] the Quaker increase was not proportionate to their numbers stated above.[1345] In 1795 it is stated that the Episcopalians and Quakers together constituted but one-third of the whole population, which then numbered about 434,373.[1346] The number of regularly established Quaker schools at that date was between sixty and seventy.
Number of regularly established schools inadequate for their population
If in 1741 we estimate the number of school age children of Quaker parentage between six and seven thousand, which is probably a less number than there actually were, it is apparent that the schools regularly established were in no way adequate to the school population. The remainder were doubtless cared for in the frequently mentioned mixed schools and neighborhood schools, which are known to have been common. These were sometimes under partial control of the Quaker meetings. What proportion the number of Quaker schools bears to those established by other agencies is not known. No studies made up to the present time have attempted to estimate the number of schools established by all or particular agencies. Any comparison is impossible until such a study is made.