The first Pelzer Mills School, built in 1881, was a two-story frame building with "the air of a city school," and the mill funded a ten-month term at a time when three months was common. The school was free and open to local children whether or not their families worked in the mill. At Pelzer Mills, however, the standard family contract required attendance for children aged 5-12, and children older than 12 were required to take a job in the mill. By 1890 there were 175 students and 3 teachers. In 1900 a new graded school was built at the corner of Hale and Lebby Sts. It was destroyed by fire in 1902 and a new building was constructed. Smythe School and auditorium, both designed by Joseph Shrine, were completed in 1922. The upper floors of Smythe School burned in 1949, but the lower stories were salvaged and remodeled, and it continued as Pelzer Elementary School until 2009.