A ranch school is a type of
school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...
used in rural areas of the
Western United States
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...
.
History
The ranch school movement began in the Western United States in the early 1900s as a way to educate children who lived on ranches in remote and rural areas, far away from regular schools in the towns and cities. The idea was popular and within a short time many ranch schools took on a
boarding school type of application, similar to a
dude ranch concept, where Easterners or city-dwellers could send their children as well.
At the time, Americans widely believed that the arid climate of the Western states could help children suffering from conditions like
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
recuperate. The hard work that went with living and working on a ranch and spending a lot of time outdoors was also appealing to those who wanted their children to grow up strong, healthy and independent. Most ranch school students rode a horse every day and were taught the basics of ranching and living outdoors, in addition to regular school teachings.
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
led the nation in the number of ranch schools, most of which were in the
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
area. Many were for boys only, but there were some all-girls schools as well, such as the Hacienda del Sol school outside of Tucson or the
Jokake School in
Scottsdale. Most of the ranch schools were built for locals, but some ranchers - such as those at the
Little Outfit Ranch in Arizona's
San Rafael Valley
The San Rafael Valley is a high intermontane grass valley in eastern Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The valley is bounded to the west by the Patagonia Mountains, to the north and northeast by the Canelo Hills and to the east by the Huachuca Mountain ...
- established ranches with the specific intention of operating them as boarding schools for "city boys".
Ranch schools were advertised in magazines and newspapers, drawing in students and their families from across the country, and as a result are accredited with contributing to the growth of the tourism industry in the
Southwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
in the early 1900s. By the 1960s, most of the ranch schools in the United States were closed or soon-to-be closed, marking the end of the traditional ranch school movement.
However, some ranch schools have survived, such as
Deep Springs College
Deep Springs College (known simply as Deep Springs or DS) is a private, selective two-year college in Deep Springs, California. With the number of undergraduates restricted to 26, the college is one of the smallest institutions of higher educat ...
.
Many contemporary ranch schools are
Therapeutic boarding school
A therapeutic boarding school is a residential school offering therapy for students with emotional or behavioral issues. Description
The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs listed 140 schools and programs as of 2005. Therapeut ...
for "troubled teens".
Gallery
File:Students Of The Hacienda del Sol School Tucson Arizona 1930s.JPG, Students at the Hacienda del Sol ranch school in the 1930s
File:LO Sch Hou Dean 19 2x2 300ppi.jpg, Students of the Little Outfit Schoolhouse raising the US flag in 1943
File:Fuller lodge los alamos.jpg, Fuller Lodge was the main building at the Los Alamos Ranch School in New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
.
File:Old Little Red Schoolhouse Beyerville Arizona 2014.JPG, The Little Red Schoolhouse in what is now Beyerville, Arizona, was built in 1921 for the children of local ranchers and farmers.
File:El Dorado Schoolhouse Sulphur Springs Valley Arizona 2015.JPG, The El Dorado Schoolhouse in eastern Sulphur Springs Valley, Arizona, near the Faraway Ranch Historic District
See also
*
One-room school
One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...
*
Open-air school
Open air schools or schools of the woods were purpose-built educational institutions for children, that were designed to prevent and combat the widespread rise of tuberculosis that occurred in the period leading up to the Second World War. The s ...
*
American Indian boarding schools
American Indian boarding schools, also known more recently as American Indian residential schools, were established in the United States from the mid 17th to the early 20th centuries with a primary objective of "civilizing" or assimilating Na ...
*
Mace-Kingsley Ranch School
References
{{Schools
School types
History of Arizona
Education in the United States