The Syms-Eaton Academy was America's first free public school. Also known as Syms-Eaton Free School, the school was established in

Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the 7th most populous city in Virginia and 204th most populous city in the nation. Hampton i ...

, in 1634. It began as the Syms School, through the donation of of land and eight cows for "a free school to educate and teach the children of the adjoining parishes of Elizabeth City and Poquoson from Marie's Mount downward to the Poquoson River", by Benjamin Syms on February 12, 1634. Twenty-five years later, in 1659, Thomas Eaton donated , buildings, livestock, and two slaves for the Eaton Charity School to serve the poor of

Elizabeth City County Elizabeth City County was a county in southeastern Virginia from 1634 until 1952 when it was merged into the city of Hampton. Originally created in 1634 as Elizabeth River Shire, it was one of eight shires created in the Virginia Colony by order ...

. The schools were so popular that in 1759 a statute was passed to provide for the attendance of only poor children at Eaton School. In 1805 the schools were merged by act of the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 1 ...

and called Hampton Academy, which in 1851 became part of the public school system. The school was burned during the Civil War and rebuilt after the war using money from the original trust fund. The rebuilt school became Hampton High School in 1896. The trust fund created from the Syms and Eaton donations has remained intact since the 17th century and was incorporated into support for the Hampton public school system. A number of schools are successors in name or location, including: *Syms Middle School, a middle school feeding

Kecoughtan High School Kecoughtan High School (pronounced "KICK-a-tan") is a public high school located in Hampton, Virginia. The current grades offered are 9–12. Kecoughtan High School is one of four high schools located in the Hampton City Public School District. ...

, Hampton, Virginia *Eaton School, a middle school feeding

Phoebus High School Phoebus High School is a public high school in Hampton, Virginia. Named after the neighborhood and former town of Phoebus, it is the newest of the four high schools in Hampton City Schools. It is considered unique for the IDEA Academy which incl ...

, Hampton, Virginia *Syms-Eaton Elementary School, a former school, now a pavilion in downtown

Hampton High School (Hampton, Virginia) Hampton High School is a public secondary school in Hampton, Virginia. It is the oldest of the four current high schools in Hampton Public Schools, built in 1956. It is an International Baccalaureate World School with the Diploma Programme. Ha ...

, is a public secondary school that is arguably a successor to the Syms-Eaton Academy *Eaton Fundamental Middle School, a feeder to

Bethel High School (Hampton, Virginia) Bethel High School is a public high school located in the northwestern section of Hampton, Virginia, United States. Bethel is the third of four public high schools in Hampton City Schools along with Kecoughtan, Hampton, and Phoebus. History ...

References

* * * * {{coord missing, Virginia Education in Hampton, Virginia Defunct schools in Virginia History of Hampton, Virginia