The first schools in Clarke County were subscription schools, that is, those who had children of school age paid the teacher's salary. That was the only expense, as the school was held in the various homes and the children used whatever textbooks they could find.
In 1858, another law was passed, and each township in Iowa became responsible for organizing schools. These new school districts built schools and provided tuition-free elementary education to all children between the ages of five and twenty-one. Nine schoolhouses were built in each township and students only had to walk a mile or two to school. Townships elected school boards to hire teachers, buy supplies, and set the school calendar. By the 1900s there were 103 rural schools in Clarke County.
At the turn of the century, almost 14,000 one-room schools dotted Iowa's rural landscape. School children of all ages learned reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic in buildings that today are museums, storage sheds, homes, and even garages.
Most schools were open for three terms - fall, winter, and spring. Children did not legally have to attend school, and many kids, especially older boys, stayed home to help with farm chores.
One-room schoolhouses were still in operation into the 1960s. But Iowans said a sad farewell to rural one-room schools when they joined with high-school districts and closed their doors by 1967.