Schoolhouse
Accredited Since
1887
State Dept. of Education
One teacher. Every grade.
Your child known by name.
Six-year-olds and twelve-year-olds sharing the same oak tables, the same wood stove warmth, and a teacher who knows every child's handwriting by September.
"The way learning worked before bells and hallways."
State Accreditation
Dept. of Education
County Historical Society
Heritage Landmark 1887
Schoolhouse Crest
Est. by Charter 1887
Rural Education Alliance
Member in Good Standing
Founded 1887 · Still Standing
Before We Go Further
Tell us about your family.
Three quick questions so the page ahead speaks directly to where your child is right now.
What grade is your child entering?
Complete the quiz above to see content tailored to your child.
Knows Every Child's
Handwriting by September
Our Teacher
Margaret Oakes has taught here for nineteen years.
Margaret grew up on a farm thirty miles east of here. She studied literature at the state university, taught two years in a consolidated district, and came home. She has not left. She knows the name of every student she has ever taught — currently 312 — and will tell you, without hesitation, what each of them was reading in their first week.
She holds a multi-grade certification, a reading specialist endorsement, and a particular fondness for the moment a child stops sounding out words and begins reading to find out what happens next. That moment, she will tell you, never gets old.
19
Years Teaching
K–8
Grades Taught
≤ 14
Students Per Year
4.2 yrs
Avg. Tenure
"I write every child's name in the register the first morning. By the end of September, I can close the register and still know exactly who needs more time, who needs more challenge, and who just needs someone to sit quietly beside them while they work."
— Margaret Oakes, Schoolhouse Teacher
From the Families
What parents say after the first year.
These are not testimonials collected for a brochure. They are notes sent to Margaret at the end of the school year.
"We drove past two schools to get here. The forty-minute ride is the best part of our morning — my son uses it to finish whatever he was reading the night before. He's never once complained about going to school."
Rachel Hendricks
Parent of Eli, age 9 · Grade 3
Maple County, 38 minutes away
"We left a Montessori program that cost twice as much and felt half as real. Here, the classroom smells like wood and chalk. The children are genuinely kind to each other. I don't know exactly how that happens, but I think it has something to do with the fact that everyone knows everyone."
Tom & Diane Forsythe
Parents of Clara, 7 & Owen, 11
Former Montessori families
"My daughter was struggling in a class of twenty-eight. Margaret had her figured out in two weeks. Not just her reading level — her. She knew that Juniper needed to draw first before she could write. No one had ever noticed that before."
Carla Whitmore
Parent of Juniper, age 8 · Grade 2
Homestead family, 22 minutes
"My son spent two years on the waiting list. When we finally got a spot, he walked in, sat down next to a twelve-year-old who was reading Steinbeck, and asked him what the book was about. That conversation lasted forty-five minutes. He's been reading Steinbeck ever since."
James Okafor
Parent of Samuel, age 10 · Grade 4
Rural Route 7, 41 minutes
Come See For Yourself
Reserve Your Visit Day.
Three Saturdays per year, the schoolhouse opens its doors from 8:00 to noon. Your child sits at a real desk, joins a morning circle, works alongside current students. You sit in the back and watch. No presentation, no sales pitch — just a real school morning.
8:00 AM arrival — school is already underway when you walk in
Your child joins morning circle and reading workshop
Parent coffee with Margaret at 10:00 — bring your questions
Optional: join the outdoor classroom hour at 11:00
⏳ Only 12 visit spots remain across all three open-classroom days this spring.
Reserve Your Seat
No payment. No commitment. Just a morning at a real desk.
Not ready to visit yet?
Download our 12-page One-Room Philosophy Guide