Second Arch Street Public School

Second Arch Street Public School. . , The Second Arch Street Public School, pictured below, was located at 110 Arch Street in York, Pa and was constructed in 1919 to educate the children living in the neighborhood. The small, brick school replaced an earlier school located at 240 Arch St. The one-room school house educated students in grades one through six as a neighborhood school to which children could walk. At the time, there were more than 325 one-room schools operating in the county. Teachers acted as the janitor, nurse, secretary as well as the teacher for students ages 6 to 16., By the 1944-45 school term, 23 students were studying in the Arch Street School, the least of any other school in the City. Most of the students attended the North Pine Street School. The school closed a few years alter, primarily because of its isolated location. The building was later occupied by a local religious organization, home to the Bethel Commandment Church and the Living God Congregation., The first schools in York were parochial schools connected with various churches and since most of the early settlers were German, these schools were conducted in German and text-books imported from Germany were used. The first English school was opened in 1750 by William Matthews, a surveyor for the Penns., In 1834, through the influence of Thaddeus Stevens and others, an act of the legislature made provision for a system of public schools for Pennsylvania. There was not much support for these public schools; however, during the winter of 1834-1835, three or four public schools were opened in York. Gradually, after 1848, the parochial schools declined and enrollment in the public schools increased., In 1870, the first public high school in York was opened. York's first junior high school was opened in 1927. In 1931, two more junior high schools were dedicated.