The History of High Schools

By Guy Scott

Education has always been a high priority in Canadian culture. In Upper Canada prior to 1841, education was left to the initiative of local settlers. Local “common” schools (today’s elementary schools) were encouraged for all children, but the system was haphazard, varied from district to district and was largely left to the initiative of the parents in a particular section. Much like today, there were three levels of schooling based on the English model: common schools for grades 1-8, grammar schools (secondary or high schools) for grades 9-13 and college (university) for the ones who could afford it. Almost all school age children received some level of elementary education, but the two higher levels were considered luxuries or out of reach for most students.

The 1841 School Act set up the framework for Ontario education that exists today. It became mandatory for municipalities to create common schools for all children, and gave the townships the power to levy taxes, build schools and hire teachers. School sections were organized and each section was required to operate its own school. The Ministry of Education set standards and oversaw the whole system. County boards did the actual policing of the individual schools. Due to various factors, notably geography, this became the era of the one-room pioneer school.

Each township was divided into school sections. Each section elected three trustees, built a school at a convenient geographical location in that section and operated that school. Each section had a secretary-treasurer who ran the financial operations of the school. Trustees usually were not paid, looking at their duties as community service. The secretary-treasurer received a nominal sum, sometimes as little as $5 a year! The municipality collected the tax money and sent it to the treasurer several times a year. The County Board of Education provided a list of standards and a school inspector.

With the growth of the educational system and the arrival of High Schools in the era after the 1980s, the school section system was reorganized. The individual school section boards of trustees were phased out in favour of township trustees. These trustees were elected to manage all the schools in the township, both elementary and high schools. It was necessary to pool resources because now students were moving outside their schools. Grammar schools were only found in the larger centres. In south central Ontario, Lindsay Collegiate was the nearest High School. For the rural students, attending High School involved boarding at Lindsay; an added cost for the parents. As the province grew and matured, the demand for higher education increased. Why should the rural or small-town students be punished for where they lived? After 1873, Grammar schools were renamed high schools and licenced to offer two streams: “English and Commercial” and “Classical”. The latter prepared students for entry to university. A standard entry exam was established for all applicants and tuition fees were collected from every student attending high school. Still, high school was out of reach for most students.

In 1896, the system was reorganized and rural schools were allowed to offer “continuation classes” in their elementary schools. This meant high school could now be accessed outside the larger towns. While not every one room school would have classes above Grade 8, the villages could now offer high school right in the community! The Continuation schools, which shared space with elementary schools, were organized into three divisions: Lower (Grades 9-10), Middle School (Grades 11-12) and Upper School (Grade 13). Grade 13 was usually not offered in the local continuation schools, but only available in Lindsay at LCVI.

The system required some reorganization and expense by the local school boards. More students attending school meant larger schools to house the larger school population. A flurry of large, new schools were built in most of the larger villages in the area. It also meant boards had to hire teachers with higher qualifications. No longer would Grade 8 and Normal School (Teacher’s College) suffice for the local school. Continuation teachers must have a high school diploma (Grade 2 certificate) or university degree (Grade 3). This meant more expense for the local board and more demand for qualified teachers. More students now had access to more education closer to home. And the locals took advantage.

By 1920, continuation schools were established in Fenelon Falls, Bobcaygeon, Kinmount and Woodville. Smart new brick two-storey school houses were built to accommodate the new system. Kinmount’s new school was completed around 1905, perched high on the hill overlooking the valley of the Burnt River. Grades 1-8 occupied the lower floor, while the high school held court in the upper level. Now students from all the little one room schools around the village could attend high school. Their education did not have to end at age 14. Most of the village students went on to attend high school and a smattering of rural students joined them to make enough students to form classes.

The rural students had to find their own transportation to school. Some walked, others rode horseback or used wagon/buggies and cutters in the winter. A large driving shed wad built beside the new school to accommodate the equine influx. Many boarded with relatives or friends in the village. The very fact parents took these measures to enable their children to attend high school speaks volumes of how much education was valued a century or more ago. Arnold Schroter was one of the rural students who attended Kinmount Continuation School in the 1930s. His family lived 5 miles north of town on the Bobcaygeon Road. His elementary school was taken at USS #4 Lutterworth (Rock School). To get to high school in Kinmount, his father provided him and his sister with a horse and buggy. The Schroter family arrived to school in style! In winter the buggy was switched for a cutter. Along the way the Schroter School Bus would often pick up other students. By the time they reached Kinmount, it was heavily loaded. Sometimes the horse could not climb the hills, so the students had to walk up grades.

At school, the equine transport required more care than today’s mechanized marvels and Arnold was often late for class because he was in the stables. He had no lack of volunteer assistance too. Weather also played a part in school attendance, much like today. Snow (and cold) days were frequent. Sometimes the horse just didn’t make it to school. One time the horse refused to go any further along the road. No amount of urging could force the steed to continue, so the Schroters turned around and went home. Later it was discovered that a wolf was caught by the foot in a snare in the ditch. The clever horse was not going near that live wolf!

Many were the tricks and pranks played by the students. Halloween seemed to be the favourite prank night. Bill Scott recalled an oft repeated prank was to relocate the school wood pile (or even the outhouse!) The students would repile the fire wood up against the front door so nobody could get into the school. On second thought, he recalled their labours, which amused many students, had a downside to them. He and the other miscreants were then tasked with moving the wood back to its former location. They handled the wood twice for a laugh!

Some one room schools out in the ‘settlements’ could offer only high school courses (especially lower Grades 9 and 10) if there was a demand and if the teacher was licensed to teach at this level. But it was easier to send the high schoolers into town to the Continuation School. The Kinmount Continuation School was graded a C High School, only licensed to teach up to Grade 10. Bobcaygeon and Woodville received B classification, which enabled them to offer courses to Grade 12, while Fenelon Falls eventually acquired a Grade A certification. As the demand for higher education grew, it was obvious that a merger was in the works. In 1951, the Victoria County District High School Board was authorized. Its goal was to consolidate the smaller high schools in the county into two central schools: Lindsay for the southern section and Fenelon Falls for the northern townships. Fenelon Falls’ school was expanded and a bussing system organized for the county. Bobcaygeon Continuation students were bussed to Fenelon Falls in 1953 and by 1960 all high school students were sent to the central schools. The new Fenelon High School was expanded to handle 600 students, but by 1970 was further expanded to hold 1,000 students. That capacity was soon exceeded as attending high school became the rule rather than the exception. To relieve pressure on the two high schools, a second high school (I.E. Weldon) was opened in Lindsay. Today, the cycle is coming full circle as declining enrolment may lead to the closure of one of the two Lindsay schools.

Kinmount Continuation School was closed by 1958. In that year the new Kinmount Public School opened on the west side of the village. It offered only Grades 1-8 with all high school students now bussed to Fenelon Falls Secondary School. In the 1960s, all the little one room schools throughout the area were closed and elementary students sent to the multi-room schools in Norland, Kinmount, Coboconk, Kirkfield, Burnt River, Bobcaygeon, Cameron, Lindsay, Woodville, Dunsford, Minden and Irondale. The township school boards were also dissolved in favour of a county board. The system suffered further amalgamation in the 1980s as the village schools disappeared into larger district schools. This system endures until the present. The times were changing and still are!