The Chautauqua Rural High School was completed in 1922 for $40,000. Its gymnasium/auditorium could seat up to 1,000 spectators. It closed in 1966, and the building was later torn down.
In Chautaugua County, Kansas, education and the establishment of a school received attention long before the idea of founding a town emerged. The first schoolhouse in Chautauqua County was erected in 1870 at the village of Elgin. Other Township schools were erected at Salt Creek, in May, 1872; Summit in the Summer of 1872; Caneyville in October, 1872; Harrison in the Summer of 1873; Lafayette in 1870; Belleville (Peru) in 1875; Sedan in 1872; Jefferson (Cedar Vale), in the Spring of 1872.
Since the first settlement was made in the county, the establishment and improvement of the educational department have kept pace with the physical and material development. Schools became established in localities as rapidly as the settlements would justify, and no means were spared nor delay suffered to interpose, until suitable and convenient school privileges were accrued in every part of the county.
The 1880 census showed the county’s school population was 2,097, but just two years later it had more than doubled to 4,421. The number of teachers employed in 1880 was 54, and in 1882, 100. The estimated value of school property in 1880 was $4,550; in 1882, it was $52,200. The tax raised in 1881 for school purposes aggregated $71,242.48. J.C. Ross was the first County Superintendent.
By 1882, there were three graded schools in the county, located in Sedan, Peru, and Cedar Vale, which were the highest-order educational institutions in the county. Considerable attention was given to the educational interests by the people of the county, great care being taken in the selection of competent and judicious men for the position of Superintendent, under whom the grade of the schools were advanced as rapidly as practicable, and the schools compared in point of efficiency with those of older and otherwise more advanced communities. At that time, there were 87 school districts in the county, with each district supplied with a comfortable building.
Today, Chautauqua County students are served by Cedar Vale USD 285 and Chautauqua County USD 286 in Sedan, Kansas.
Historic Schools of Chautauqua County
| Name | District | Years of Operation |
Location and Information |
| Chautauqua County | ?? | 1900-?? |
 Chautauga County This one-story, L-shaped brick building was designed in the vernacular style, featuring a hip roof with lower cross gables. The vacant deteriorated building is located on 5 Road in the Cedar Vale vicinity. |
| Chautauqua County | 50? | ?? |
 Chautauqua County This one-story rectangular stone school, with a gable metal roof, was designed in the vernacular style. It is located at 899 26 Road in Peru, where it serves as a residence today. |
| Chautauqua County | 6? | ?? |
 Chautauga County This one-story rectangular stone school was built in the vernacular style with a gable roof. It may be school district #6, but it needs to be verified. The deteriorated vacant building is at the intersection of Lariat Road and Road 27 in the Monett vicinity. |
| Cloverdale | ?? | ?? |
 Cloverdale This one-room basement school is about halfway between Cedar Vale and Grenola in what was once the town of Cloverdale. At one time, the Cloverdale school was above ground, but it blew away during a bad storm. It was replaced with this basement school. After it closed, it was used as a community center. Today, it is the only surviving building in Cloverdale. |
| Newlon | 88 | 1913-?? |
 Newlon Newlon School served local students in grades 1 through 8. The one-room rectangular wood-frame school with a smaller gable-front entry room was built in the vernacular style. The address is 1491 Road 23, Sedan, Kansas, but it is closer to Grafton. |
| Silver Prairie | ?? | 1911-?? |
 Silver Prairie This one-story rectangular stone building with a hip roof was designed in the vernacular style. The deteriorated building is vacant today. It is located on 11 Road 11 near Sedan, Kansas. |
| Spring Branch | ?? | 1930s-1945 |
 Spring Branch The Spring Branch school was a one-room, five-month subscription country school built in the 1930s. The building also served as a community meeting place. The school was consolidated with Cedar Vale in 1945. Afterward, it was used by the 4-H club. Today, the roof is collapsing, and the building is falling into ruins. It is located two miles east of Cedar Vale on private property just north of Highway 166. |
| St. Charles | 58 | 1874-1946 |
 St. Charles This rectangular, wood-frame, vernacular-style gable-front roof school was built in 1874 and remodeled in 1942, with the addition of a cloakroom at the east and south exits. The school was also used for social gatherings, church services, funerals, and as a polling place. The school closed in 1946 and was moved to Sedan in 1990. Today, it functions as the Chamber of Commerce office. It is located at 188 N. Sherman Street in Sedan, Kansas. |
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, April 2025.
Also See:
One-Room, Country, & Historic Schools of Kansas
Sources:
Cutler, William G.; History of Kansas; A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883.