Do you research school records? I'm not talking about yearbooks. Those can be found on the Yearbooks Page. I'm talking about actual school records, such as enrollment, attendance, and grade reports for example. These are interesting source documents because they might record the students age, birth date and location, and possibly their parents names. All great ways to find this information if you haven't found them in other documents about your target ancestor. Besides, finding out your grandmother's grades would be interesting!
The record collection links, listed below, feature school records from the state, and list collections of records that are available for free online.
If you wish to get educated with some basic information regarding what is available and how to navigate your research for school records, you can read these summaries:
- 5 Quick Tips to Get the Most Out of Education Records
- Top 10 Strategies for Finding School Records for Genealogy
- Getting Started With School Records for Genealogy Research
So, what types of records related to schools are maintained and often available?
- School Census
- School Catalogs
- Teacher's Registers
- Attendance Records
- Report Cards
- Class Logs
- Teacher Rosters
- School Board Meetings/Reports
- Academic Team and Class Photos
- Local Newspaper Articles:
- - Graduation Lists
- - School Activities
- - School Sports
- Student Newspapers
- Alumni Directories and Publications
- Yearbooks
- Yearbook Indexes
And, what types of information can you derive from these school records?
- Name (often includes middle name which is useful).
- Age
- Physical Characteristics - color/race, disability.
- Birth Date
- Current Residence Address
- Name of Father
- Name of Mother
- Occupations of parents
- Grades
- Classes Taken
- Activities (from Photos)
- Date left school (can help with family residence relocation)
Below is a list of links to free online school record collections for the state;
Note: Some of the links go to sites with not much information and some go to sites with an extensive set of records.
Note: Some of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections' images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital.
(Updated February, 2020; recently added links are in BOLD)
- Barbour County School Photos
- Barbour County, Roll of Honor of West Virginia Boys and Girls, 1911-1912
- Berkeley County, School Book, 1818-1846
- Brooke County, School Lists and Photos
- Calhoun County, School Lists and Photos
- Grant District High School, Milton, W.Va. - 1931-1932
- Grant District High School, Milton, W.Va., 1930
- Greenbrier County, School Lists and Photos
- Marion County, School Lists and Photos
- Marshall County, School Lists and Photos
- Mason County, School Lists and Photos
- Mineral County, School Lists and Photos
- Monroe County, School Children 1820-1830
- Monroe County, School Children 1831-1842
- Monroe County, School Children 1858-1861
- Monroe County, School Teachers, 1820-1835
- Morgan County, Roll of Honor of West Virginia Boys and Girls, 1911-1912
- Pleasants County, School Lists and Photos
- Putnam County Schools, SCHOOL HISTORIES, 1933-1963
- Raleigh County, School Lists and Photos
- School Photographs in West Virginia by County
- West Virginia University Alumni List 1870-1917
- Wetzel County, School Lists and Photos
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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