German-English School (San Antonio, Tex.)

San Antonio, Texas school, founded by German immigrants, and dedicated to teaching in both German and English.

Established by German immigrants in 1858; in operation until 1897.

One of the earliest efforts to establish a comprehensive system of public education in San Antonio, the German-English School was established in 1858 by German-speaking immigrants to Texas, who solicited subscriptions to finance the institution. The school aimed to educate the children of the recent immigrants, emphasizing proficiency in the language of their adopted country while retaining elements of the language and culture of their homeland. Instruction in both German and English was part of the curriculum, as were geography, writing, history, arithmetic, Spanish, and music. While German-American families provided the core of support for the school, students and financial contributions came from throughout the community.

Shortly after its founding, permanent buildings were constructed for the school, and it remained in that location until the property was sold in 1897. The buildings were used as a public school beginning in 1903, and San Antonio Junior College used the site from 1926 through 1951. After serving as office space for the city of San Antonio and for HemisFair, the buildings were restored for use as hotel conference facilities.

References

Donecker, Frances. "German-English School." Handbook of Texas Online . http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/kbg08 .