One-room schoolhouses have been a part of America since the nation began. Nearly 200,000 were in use at the time of The Secret School; today, only 400 remain. (Ellis, Neenah. “One-Room Schools Holding on in Rural America.” NPR, 22 December 2005).

One-room education was widespread in remote, rural farming areas, where small and widely dispersed populations often didn’t have enough students for a multi-room school. In a single classroom, first through eighth graders sat together, receiving instruction from the same teacher.

During the 1800s and early 1900s in the US, eight years of schooling were considered enough for most children of farming families. High school was a luxury that farmers could dispense with: Their work didn’t require a lot of math, and reading was more of a hobby than a necessity.

Usually constructed from local materials, schoolhouses often were of a simple square shape, and the buildings sometimes served double duty as meeting places and churches. Sometimes the teacher also lived in the building. Separate privies for boys and girls were located outside. The children helped tote water and firewood and did other chores, and the teacher might cook a noontime meal on a stove that also heated the room.