<P> After the Revolution , northern states especially emphasized education and rapidly established public schools . By the year 1870 , all states had tax - subsidized elementary schools . The US population had one of the highest literacy rates in the world at the time . Private academies also flourished in the towns across the country , but rural areas ( where most people lived ) had few schools before the 1880s . </P>
<P> After the Revolution , northern states especially emphasized education and rapidly established public schools . By the year 1870 , all states had tax - subsidized elementary schools . The US population had one of the highest literacy rates in the world at the time . Private academies also flourished in the towns across the country , but rural areas ( where most people lived ) had few schools before the 1880s . </P>
when was the american public school system established
when was the american public school system established
By the year 1870
By the year 1870