Ranch school facts for kids

A ranch school was a special kind of school found in the countryside of the Western United States. These schools combined learning with a ranch lifestyle. They were often in remote areas, far from regular towns and cities.

History

What Were Ranch Schools?

Ranch schools started in the early 1900s in the Western United States. They helped educate kids who lived on ranches far from towns. Soon, these schools became popular. Many also worked like a boarding school or a dude ranch. This meant kids from cities or the East Coast could come and stay there too.

Why Were They Popular?

People back then thought the dry, sunny weather in the West was good for health. They believed it could help children get better from problems like asthma. Living and working on a ranch also meant lots of outdoor time and hard work. This was attractive to parents who wanted their kids to grow up strong and independent. Most students at ranch schools rode horses daily. They learned about ranching and outdoor life, along with their regular school subjects.

Where Were They Located?

Arizona had the most ranch schools in the country. Most of them were near Tucson. Many schools were only for boys. But there were also some schools just for girls. Examples include the Hacienda del Sol school near Tucson or the Jokake School in Scottsdale. Some ranchers, like those at the Little Outfit Ranch in Arizona, even started ranches just to be boarding schools for "city boys."

How Did They Grow?

Ranch schools advertised in magazines and newspapers. This brought in students and families from all over the country. Because of this, ranch schools helped the tourism business grow in the Southwest in the early 1900s. By the 1960s, most traditional ranch schools in the United States had closed. However, a few ranch schools still exist today, like Deep Springs College. Some modern ranch schools are now therapeutic boarding schools. They help young people with specific needs.

Gallery

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  Students at the Hacienda del Sol ranch school in the 1930s

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  Students of the Little Outfit Schoolhouse raising the US flag in 1943

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  Fuller Lodge was the main building at the Los Alamos Ranch School in New Mexico.

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  The Little Red Schoolhouse in what is now Beyerville, Arizona, was built in 1921 for the children of local ranchers and farmers.

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  The El Dorado Schoolhouse in eastern Sulphur Springs Valley, Arizona, near the Faraway Ranch Historic District

See also

• One-room school
• Open-air school
• American Indian boarding schools
• Mace-Kingsley Ranch School