District No. 5 Public School

District No. 5 School was the first rural public school in Codington County. At a meeting on June 30, 1879, at the Kranz Hotel, it was decided to build the school for $1,000 or less. The first term ran from December 1879 to March 1880 and was taught by C.E. South for $30 per month. Twenty-nine pupils were enrolled, ranging in age from five to 21, with an average attendance of 14 students. The first classes were reading, spelling, arithmetic, history, and geography, though other subjects were later added. School terms varied with severe weather and the need for students to help with crops. Attendance dropped after the turn of the century when a Catholic school opened, and in years when there was a shortage of nuns, the schools worked together to cover all subjects. The last teacher's report for District No. 5 School was filed June 2, 1960, ending 90 years of schooling.

Kranzburg, South Dakota · United States