School Records

Fall is the time when students go back to school. School records might not be the first record group you think of to find out about your ancestors but they can fill in details about their lives. They can fill in details between census years, add information about your ancestor—were they a good student, did they miss school, did they take part in extra curricular activities, etc. Record availability varies by location and time period.

What School Records Can Tell You

Yearbooks and College Catalogs can provide extensive information about your ancestor and their education. My grandfather attended the University of Missouri. The college archive provided his transcript. I found out that his high school wasn’t accredited so he had to take courses to be admitted into the School of Engineering. He joined the Engineering Club, in the military band, and was the head cheerleader in his Junior year. The local newspaper included articles about goings on at the university. I learned that he and the other cheerleaders painted megaphones for a big football game. The local newspaper from his hometown included articles in the social column every time he visited home and returned to school.

One ancestor was a doctor. His record in the AMA Deceased Physicians Card File included the name of the Medical School he attended in the 1870s. The college catalogs that are digitized and available online include lists of classes, labs, instructors, cost of attending, lists of students, awards presented to students, and requirements for graduation. The City Directories for the time he attended school included the address where he lived. Newspaper accounts of graduation ceremonies added details.

Another ancestor was a High School Teacher. The city where she taught had a public school archives. I was able to learn what the requirements were for teaching school, that she attended a teachers college, and the schools where she taught.

County histories often include information on early schools including information on students and teachers. My ancestors attended the first school in their county in the 1840s.

My grandmother attended a private high school. They have an archives that provided information about her education. There were also articles in the local newspaper about events at the school including graduation, she was the valedictorian. My cousin had her scrapbook that included the text of her speech.

More recent school records have been critical in identifying DNA matches.

Locating Records

Start with family papers. If you don’t have any school records, ask you relatives what they have.

Collections of Yearbooks are available on Ancestry, FamilySearch and MyHeritage.

Catalogs and Yearbooks might be available on the website of the College or University. Google the school name.

School Census or Admission Records might include the age of the student, names of parents, information on siblings. Check FamilySearch for digitized records. Also check state digital collections on sites like State Archives or State Library.

Some cities have school archives. Google the city and “School Archives”.

Check with local Genealogical Societies, Historical Societies and Libraries to determine what records might be available and where they are.

Contact the local diocese for records from Catholic schools.

Private schools might have archives. Check their websites if they are still operating or manuscript collections if they are no longer operating.

School records might have been donated to institutions that maintain manuscript collections. Use ArchiveGrid to search manuscript collections (https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/).

Worth the Effort

School records can require some effort to find but they can provide interesting information to add to your ancestors’ stories. In some cases they may be the critical record that can confirm and identity or help break down that brick wall.