Many early settlers of the Boise and Payette River Valleys were illiterate. All you really had to know was how to survive in this wilderness of sagebrush, rivers and Indians. "Frontier smarts" kept you alive. As families grew, the need for educated men and women grew. There were newspapers to read and legal documents to study and understand. Books were scarce and were usually shared by several students in one room schools with homemade desks. It was not unusual to have six-year-olds in the same class as 12-year-olds.
The legislature of the Territory of Idaho created a Superintendent of Instruction January 29, 1864. He helped schools acquire books and teachers and set up curricula. The Territory of Idaho soon had 386 school districts with 12,457 students. A public school term averaged 4.4 months. The first public high school was in Boise in 1881. By 1910, Idaho had 722 school districts with 35,000 students.
Payette's first school district No. 32, was organized in 1886 with County Superintendent, the Rev. G. H. Davis, who on October 6, 1886 appointed Peter Pence, W. H. Platt and John F. Reed as trustees for the ensuing year. In 1891, trustees adopted an eight month school year. In 1892, Payette's High School became an accredited high school under Professor Rowe who insisted on hiring only graduates from universities or normal schools who has previous teaching experience.
Payette High School had its first graduating class in 1895 which consisted of four girls and two boys. There was now a need in Idaho for colleges and universities so high school graduates could pursue their education.
Albertson College (College of Idaho) in Caldwell is Idaho's oldest college and was founded in 1884 by the Presbyterian Church. It opened in 1891 with 19 students. Dr. William Judson Boone was founder and president for 45 years. It originally opened as an academy or high school with a faculty of eight. College classes were offered in 1906 and it grew to full college status in 1910. Since 1919 it has become a four year, nonsecetarian liberal arts college with master's degrees in education and counseling. It produced Idaho's first Rhodes Scholar, Lawrence Harvey Gipson, who became a renowned historian, winning the Pulitzer Prize for his 15 volume history, "The British Empire Before the American Revolution."
The University of Idaho at Moscow was established by the Idaho Territorial Legislature January 10, 1889 and opened its doors in the fall of 1892. It's a land grant institution that is obligated to bring the benefits of quality teaching, research and service to the people of Idaho. Its colleges and its graduate schools serve thousands of students and is a major center for higher education in the state.
Albion Normal School at Albion (near Burley) was established in 1893 and opened January 8, 1894 for training teachers. One famous alumni was T. H. Bell who served as U.S. Secretary of Education from 1981-1985 and was a Commissioner of Education for another two years. He wrote a critical book in 1988 on education, entitled "The Thirteenth Man A Reagan Cabinet Memoir. The college was closed by the Idaho State Legislature in 1949 when a bill to reactivate the college failed to pass. In 1957 the buildings were leased out but are now vacant.
Lewis and Clark State College, Lewiston was established in 1893 as a normal school for training teachers. In 1947 the name was changed to North Idaho College of Education and offered four year degrees in education. It was closed in 1951 because the Idaho Legislature failed to provide funding. It reopened in 1955 as the Lewis and Clark Normal School under the supervision of the University of Idaho. In 1963 it became a four year school. In 1971 and was renamed Lewis-Clark State College. In 1990 students could select four year courses in business, criminal justice, education, nursing and arts and sciences.
Brigham Young University Idaho (Ricks College) began as a Bannock Stake Academy
(LDS High School) before 1900. In 1903 the name was changed to Rick's Academy. In 1915 it adopted a college curriculum and in 1923 the name was changed to Rick's College. In 1957 the LDS Church announced it was relocating the campus to Idaho Falls. This caused a tremendous uproar and in April 1981 the announcement was rescinded. New construction started on the existing campus. By 1975 $17 million had been spent on new buildings. In 2001 the name was changed to Brigham Young University - Idaho with four year classes. The existing sports programs were terminated.
Idaho State University at Pocatello, serves the populace of Southeastern Idaho. It began September 22, 1902 as a high school with four teachers and 40 students. Originally it was the Academy of Idaho and in 1915 was named Idaho Technical Institute. In 1927 it became the Southern Branch of the University of Idaho and in 1947 was named Idaho State College. In 1963 it was designated Idaho State University - a four year degree granting institution. It has many professional and graduate programs. Its outstanding with its College of Pharmacy School which was established in 1930. During World War II classes were offered in the Vocational School for jobs in the defense effort and navy V12 officer training program. One of its famous graduates was Roger Williams.
Boise State University - Boise, Idaho: Formerly Boise Junnior College, with over 15,000 students is Idaho's largest University. It was founded in 1933 by the Episcopal Church and located on the site, near Julia Davis Park, of the first Boise Municipal Airport. It became a State College in 1969 and obtained university status in 1974. It offers excellent programs in liberal arts, social sciences, public affairs and teacher preparation. Its School of Nursing graduates over a hundred nurses each year.
Northwest Nazarene University, in Nampa, rated among the top ten Liberal Arts Colleges in the west, was founded in 1913 as an elementary school. It began to offer high school and college courses in 1915. It was accredited as a junior college in 1931 and, in 1937 as an accredited four year school. It offers 42 majors within six divisions, social science, language and literature, mathematics, natural science, philosophy and religion, fine arts and professional studies. It was originally Northwest Nazarene College, but was changed to Northwest Nazarene University in 2001.
North Idaho College, Coeur d'Alene, opened as a junior college in 1939 and in 1971 became North Idaho College. It's a two year college, conferring associate degree certificates in 36 academic majors and several vocational programs. In 1990 there were 2,000 full time students enrolled.
College of Southern Idaho at Twin Falls, opened in September of 1965 on the north side of Twin Falls near the Snake River Canyon. In 1990 there were 1,900 students enrolled. It has a standard junior college program with a strong vocational technical curriculum.
Treasure Valley Community College, located in Ontario, Oregon, was founded in the fall of 1962 on the western edge of the Treasure Valley as part of the Oregon Community College System. Classes were originally conducted at Ontario High School in the afternoons and evenings. The first graduation was in the spring of 1963 when students in the one year Licensed Practical Nursing Program completed their studies. Buildings on the present campus were completed in 1965 and 1966. Currently over 1,200 students attend classes each year on a part time or full time basis.