Introduction

“The Legislature shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of free public schools for the instruction of all children in the state between the ages of five and eighteen years.” – New Jersey State Constitution, 1875.

Though best known for its institutions of higher learning,  Princeton also has a long and rich history of public education. “Common schools,” the precursor to today’s public schools, began appearing in Princeton in the late 1830s, not long after education reformer Horace Mann began nationally promoting community-funded education. Princeton Borough incorporated its schools in 1858 and the town’s first official public school opened that same year. 

Until 2013, the “Princeton” we know today actually existed as two independent municipalities – Princeton Borough and Princeton Township. Borough and Township schools were separate entities for much of this time. Princeton Township officially incorporated its schools in 1875, but many of the Township’s rural schoolhouses existed long before incorporation. Unlike the first Borough schools, early Township schools were integrated, with both white and Black students attending. The Borough and Township school districts ultimately merged in 1966, becoming the public school system that exists today.

Created in partnership with the Historical Society of Princeton and Princeton Public Schools, this digital tour traces the history of public education, as it developed in Princeton, through the stories of twenty one identifiable schools. Photographs, historical documents, oral histories, and the extant buildings themselves (many of which still stand!) help to illuminate these tales and reveal how public schools remain integral community institutions.

Acknowledgements

This website draws on and makes digitally accessible materials and research collected for a 2009 exhibition acknowledging 150 years of Princeton Public School history. The original exhibition was the product of efforts of Princeton Public Schools alumni and staff, the Historical Society of Princeton, Princeton Public Library, Princeton University Libraries, and dedicated volunteers. Special thanks go to Charlotte Bialek, Connie Escher, Liz Lien, Lisa Paine, and Shirley Satterfield for all their work on the 2009 exhibition, and to Dr. Robert Ginsberg for his support of this update.