St. Francis College (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Variant namesSt. Francis College was established in 1858 in Brooklyn by the Franciscan Brothers as St. Francis Academy. In 1884 the school began granting college degrees. In the 1950's St. Francis Preparatory School, which up until then had been housed together with the college, moved to a separate building.
From the description of Records, [ca.1881]-1977, 1881-1949 (bulk) (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 155450707
In colonial New York, young people primarily received education through private schoolmasters and tutors, and free schooling was available to poor families through the Dutch Reformed and Catholic churches. Following the establishment of a state government, the Regents of the University of the State of New York granted charters for secondary schools in the state; the first charter, in 1768, was for Erasmus Hall Academy, located in the present-day Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatbush. Individual school districts in Kings County were created based on village, town, or neighborhood boundaries, with each district receiving funding from local taxes, state contributions, and student tuition. This system continued into the mid-19th century, when Brooklyn created a municipal board of education in 1843 to oversee all schools in the city.
While the number of schools in Brooklyn grew, very few educational opportunities existed beyond the primary grades for the children of poor or working class parents. Secondary schools such as Erasmus Hall and the Brooklyn Female Academy (opened in 1846, and now known as the Packer Collegiate Institute) were private, and therefore only affordable for middle class and wealthy families. The Central Grammar School, founded in 1878, was the first public school in Brooklyn to offer secondary level classes. Out of Central Grammar School, Boys' High School and Girls' High School, the first public high schools in Brooklyn, were formed to meet the demand and need for free public education beyond elementary school. Higher education also became available in Brooklyn around this time, as the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (now known as Polytechnic Institute of New York University) conferred its first baccalaureate degrees in 1871, and St. Francis Academy evolved from a monastery and preparatory school to St. Francis College in 1885.
- Sources
- Lopate, Carol. Education and Culture in Brooklyn: A History of Ten Institutions. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Brooklyn Education and Cultural Alliance, 1979.
- Ment, David. "Public schools." In Encyclopedia of New York City, ed. Kenneth T. Jackson, 955-961. New Haven: Yale University Press; New York: New-York Historical Society, 1995.
From the guide to the Brooklyn schools collection, 1828-1975, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
---|---|---|---|
referencedIn | Brooklyn ephemera collection, 1814-1998 | Center for Brooklyn History (2020-) | |
referencedIn | Archives at Queens Library. Schools, colleges. St. Francis College [vertical file] / [compiled by the Archives at Queens Library]. | Queens Borough Public Library | |
creatorOf | St. Francis College (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Photographs, [ca.1880-1960] | Campbell University, Wiggins Memorial Library | |
referencedIn | Kelly, James., 1885-1966. The Jamie Kelly Collection, 1854-1978 1950-1960. | Brooklyn College | |
creatorOf | St. Francis College (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Records, [ca.1881]-1977, 1881-1949 (bulk) | Campbell University, Wiggins Memorial Library | |
creatorOf | Brooklyn schools collection, 1828-1975 | Center for Brooklyn History (2020-) | |
creatorOf | St. Francis College (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Institutional file. | Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives |
Role | Title | Holding Repository |
---|
Filters:
Place Name | Admin Code | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Queens (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Manhattan (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Bay Ridge (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Coney Island (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.) | |||
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |
Subject |
---|
Alumnae and alumni |
Art galleries, Commercial |
College students |
Education, Higher |
Education, Secondary |
Students |
Girls |
Girls |
Girls' schools |
High school students |
Music education |
Theological seminaries |
Student life and customs |
Student publications |
Occupation |
---|
Activity |
---|
Corporate Body
Active 1880
Active 1960