Common Schools Law and Legal Definition
The term common school refers to the predecessors of the public schools and systems of the U.S. A common school was a public school in the U.S. in the nineteenth century. Common schools were quasi-public, originally mandated by colonial, and subsequently by state and governments. They offered an elementary level of schooling. The methodology was characterized by rote learning, harsh discipline, and delivery of patriotic and protestant messages. The duration of the school term depended on the level of support from the community. In other words, common schools are schools maintained at the public expense and administered by a state, district, or municipal government for the gratuitous education of the children of all citizens without any distinction.
