District No. 5 School was the first rural public school in Codington County. At a meeting on June 30, 1879 at the Kranz Hotel, it was decided to build the school for $1,000 or less. The first term was from December 1879 to March 1880, taught by C.E. South for $30 per month.
Twenty-nine pupils were enrolled, ranging in age from five to 21, with an average of 14 students attending. Although other subjects were later added, the first classes were reading, spelling, arithmetic, history, and geography. School terms varied based on the severity of weather and the need for students to help with crops.
Attendance dropped after the turn of the century when a Catholic school opened. During years when there was a shortage of nuns, the schools worked together to cover all subjects. The last teacher's report for District No. 5 School was filed June 2, 1960, ending 90 years of schooling.
This site has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
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