Who Invented School: From Ancient Times to Today

Who Invented School: A Historical Overview

The history of schools dates back to the first written records from ancient civilizations. The oldest mentions of formal educational institutions belong to the Middle Kingdom era in Egypt (2061–2010 BC). Around the same time, schooling is mentioned in other civilizations, including ancient India, China, and Greece.

Of course, ancient schools and most educational institutions that emerged in the Middle Ages and beyond were vastly different from the schools we know now. Yet, every period in the history of education had a huge impact on the formation of the modern school system.

Now, let’s look at the key events and figures.

Who Created the School System as We Know It Today?

If you are wondering who created school in its modern form, most credit goes to Horace Mann (1796—1859). Mann was an American politician who became widely known as the “Father of Public Education.” He advocated for mandatory, tax-supported, and accessible schools, which eventually brought him the title of the inventor of school.

When was school invented? 

Now, formal education is considered essential for everyone. The majority of students have easy access to schools and higher education, as well as lots of supporting tools, such as an affordable essay writing service and numerous apps for learning. But it hasn’t always been like that.

As you already know, the first person to advocate for accessible school education in the US was Horace Mann. His ideas about education were inspired by his travels to Prussia in the 1840s. After returning home, Mann pioneered the Common School Movement in Massachusetts, which resulted in the nation’s first compulsory education legislation in 1852. This legislation made schools free, tax-supported, and non-sectarian. It also required children aged 8 to 14 to attend school for at least 12 weeks a year.

Why was school invented? 

Since ancient times, schools (in their various forms) were meant to share knowledge, skills, and values. The earliest schools primarily taught students basic literacy skills, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Higher-level education often focused on rhetoric, philosophy, physical training, and the arts. This education was primarily restricted to male students from elite families.

Later in history, schools were gradually becoming more accessible. They mainly taught religion and practical skills.Basically, there were 3 core goals behind the earliest schools:

1. To pass on cultural values and religious traditions through generations;

2. To provide basic literacy to elite citizens;

3. To foster civic-minded citizens tailored to perform elite, scribal, and administrative roles.

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What Were the Main Goals of the American Founder of School?

Ancient schools were mainly focused on educating elite groups of society and passing on primary cultural and religious knowledge. But who invented school and why, in the US, in particular?

The core idea behind Horace Mann’s schooling system was to make education accessible to all. He viewed it as a “great equalizer.”

Mann believed that formal education was essential for building social harmony, supporting a democratic society, and providing equal economic opportunities.Mann also advocated for teaching excellence and broad, standardized curricula. It’s thanks to him that school curricula started going beyond basic literacy. Now, school curricula are even deeper. They encourage students to explore unconventional topics, like what is homework backwards, and focus on building critical thinking beyond literacy.

The Early Origins of Education

Today, education is standardized and thorough. Every person is expected to have a formal school education and then acquire a degree from a college or university. The curriculum, grades, and exams are all formal and tailored to a single national standard. Not to mention, you have access to tutoring, services where you can ask: do my homework for me, and lots of technology that helps in the process.

Of course, it hasn’t been like this before. Although the concept of education has emerged among the earliest humans, it took centuries to develop and take its current form.

Let’s look at how it evolved.

The Earliest Humans

Though it’s rarely discussed when speaking about who created school, the earliest forms of education actually date back to the earliest humans. Our ancestors didn’t have schools and classrooms. However, they were teaching and learning.

The education for the earliest humans relied on cave drawings and familial teachings. The main type of knowledge that was passed on was the skills necessary for survival. Of course, this kind of education wasn’t structured. But that’s where the very concept of learning takes its roots. Later, as communities began growing, this concept was adjusted, and the first schools started to appear.

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Ancient Civilizations

The first mentions of formal schools come from ancient civilizations, such as Egypt, India, China, and Greece. So we can assume that the concept of education had been evolving quite rapidly at that time.

The ancient schools were mainly accessible to male students from noble families. In them, students studied basic literacy skills, like reading and writing. Additionally, depending on the civilizations, students could study rhetoric, arts, philosophy, physical training, and other subjects. Mainly, this kind of education was meant to prepare young men to perform different elite roles in their societies.

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The Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, the concept of education changed a lot. At that time, religion used to be the main pillar. In Europe, the Roman Catholic Church acted as the most powerful, unifying institution that had an influence on all aspects of human life, from politics to education.

Under the huge influence of the church, schools at this time were formed in monasteries and cathedrals. The curriculum was based on Latin literacy, scholasticism, theological studies, and liberal arts. At first, these schools were meant to train clergy. Later, they started teaching noble children.

There is actually much more to explore about schools in the Middle Ages. So, if you are writing a research paper or essay on this topic, it might be wise to find an expert to ask: do my assignment. This way, you can get a deep historical perspective and a quality paper.

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The Four Philosophical Foundations of Education

While historians still can’t tell who invented the school first, we can confidently say that every era and person involved has helped shape the schooling system the way we know it now. From ancient civilizations and the Middle Ages to the revolutionary ideas of Horace Mann, each of these stages has helped shape the four primary philosophical foundations of education.

Philosophical foundations of education are a set of values, theories, and beliefs that determine the purpose of education, curriculum, and teaching methods. Each of the four core frameworks still remains relevant today. So, let’s take a moment to explore them.

1. Perennialism Adherents Who Invented School

The first philosophy, perennialism, keeps its focus on the biggest, timeless ideas of Western civilization. This framework developed gradually, taking its roots from the works of Plato and Aristotle. Its formal concept was introduced later, in the 16th century, by Agostino Steuco.

The main idea of perennialism is that human nature is constant. Given that, the framework suggests that formal education should be centered around teaching concepts that don’t get old. It embraces cultural literacy and intellectual development with lifelong value. It’s also referred to as a classical curriculum. Basically, this philosophy forms the entire foundation of knowledge.

2. When Was School Created: The Essentialist Perspective

The second core principle is essentialism. It was formally presented in 1938 as a critique of progressive education. Officially, American educator William Bagley is considered to be the author of this framework.

The primary idea of essentialism is that there is a set of knowledge and skills that every person should acquire. This includes basic literacy, morality, and other core subjects. Unlike perennialists, adherents of this philosophy don’t believe that there are universal truths found in classic literature. They embrace practical knowledge and skills that can actually be used in life.

3. Progressivism: The Inventor of School That Focuses on the Child

The next framework, progressivism, emerged in the US between 1890 and 1920. It started as a social and political movement. The person who invented school concept of progressivism is unknown, as there have been many members of this movement. Yet, it grew to be one of the central philosophies of education.

The main idea behind progressivism is that every student is a natural-born experimenter and independent thinker. Adepts of this framework believe that true knowledge comes from first-hand experience, questioning, and problem-solving. Unlike other frameworks, progressivism doesn’t view textbooks and books as authoritarian sources of knowledge, but rather as auxiliary tools.

4. Who Invented the First School Focused on Social Reconstructionism

The last philosophy of education is social reconstructionism. It emerged in the United States between the late 1920s and 1930s. George Counts and Theodore Brameld were among the most renowned leaders of this philosophy (known as “Frontier Thinkers”). They created this philosophy in response to the Great Depression and persisting social inequalities. The purpose? To stimulate societal reform.

The core idea behind this framework is to encourage schools to address major societal issues. It implies learning how society works, from finance to politics, and finding ways to make a positive change.

To put it simply, advocates of social reconstructionism believe that schools and students should recognize the problems that exist in their societies and focus on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to make a collaborative change to build a better society in the future. For example, let’s consider current economic problems in society. To make a change, modern schools have to teach students to handle economics-specific tasks, such as financial modeling in Excel, to prepare them to solve this problem in the future. Luckily, today you can simply request Excel homework help from professionals and handle the task. In social reconstructionism, it doesn’t matter if a student has an interest in or talent for finance. It only matters that this skill is needed to build a brighter future.

Sources

Diorio, G. L. (2023). History of public education in the U.S. EBSCO Research Starters. Retrieved January 29, 2026, from https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/history-public-education-us

Hooser , A., & McClain, J. (n.d.). Philosophical foundations of education. Pressbooks. Retrieved January 29, 2026, from https://pressbooks.pub/introtoedfrcc/chapter/philosophical-foundations/

Mark, J. J. (n.d.). Religion in the Middle Ages. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 29, 2026, from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1411/religion-in-the-middle-ages/

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Frequently asked questions

When was the first school invented?

To this day, it’s hard to tell when exactly the first school was invented. The earliest mentions of schools date back to ancient civilizations, including Egypt, India, China, and others. However, we do know that the 1852 compulsory education legislation has made a school concept formal and mandatory in the US.

How did schools change from ancient times?

The first schools were primarily teaching elite groups of citizens and focused on basic literacy skills, religious education, arts, etc. The revolutionary ideas of Horace Mann made schools publicly accessible and free. Mann also integrated a standardized curriculum that goes beyond basic literacy and advocated for teachers’ education, among other things.

Who invented the first school?

Just like we don’t know when the very first school was invented, we also don’t know who invented it. There were many people across different eras and geographic areas who contributed to the development of schools. In the US, Horace Mann is widely credited for inventing the modern school system.

Who created school and why?

So, who invented school? And what were their motives? Although we don’t know who created them, ancient schools were meant to pass on cultural values and religious traditions and provide basic literacy to elite citizens. Horace Mann had different motivations – to make education accessible to everyone. His vision is still what makes school education inclusive.

What was the first school in the world?

The earliest formal school we know about emerged in Egypt’s Middle Kingdom. It was directed by Kheti, treasurer to Mentuhotep II. And the oldest operating school in the world is Shishi High School. It’s located in Chengdu, China, and has operated since around 141 to 143 BCE.

How was school created in the US?

In the US, Horace Mann is credited as the person who invented the idea of formal school education. He traveled to Prussia in the 1840s and got inspired by the local education systems. Back at home, Mann formed his own vision of schooling and pioneered the Common School Movement in Massachusetts. This led to the nation’s first compulsory education legislation in 1852.