Amish schoolchildren playing kickball at recess in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

One-room schoolhouses in Lancaster County PA

The Bell Rings and Amish School Begins

Amish School

Amish children in Lancaster County attend small private schools, most of them one room schoolhouses, where classes are taught in English. Schooling ends after eighth grade, a practice the U.S. Supreme Court protected in its 1972 ruling that exempted Old Order Amish families from compulsory attendance beyond that point. Teachers are usually Amish themselves, and lessons focus on reading, writing, arithmetic, and community life.

Why Amish Education Ends at Eighth Grade

For the many Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite children living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the ringing school bell signals a time to shift attention from field work to school work, a time to drop the hoe and pick up a pencil.

As a result of the county’s growing Old Order population, enrollment in their one room schools is surging. During recent years, Old Order leaders have been over-seeing the construction of new one room school buildings at the rate of about five per year.

The most famous Amish school is probably the Nickel Mines school in Lancaster County, where an Amish school shooting happened that garnered nationwide attention in 2006.

Amish vs. Mennonite Schools

The following answer to a question we received as part of our “Ask the Amish” feature was given by the resident experts at the Mennonite Information Center in Lancaster:

“School for Old Order Amish and Mennonites is only a part of the learning necessary for preparation for the adult world. Children have formal schooling in one room schools to 8th grade and then have a structured learning program supervised by their parents. Classes in the one room Amish schools are conducted in English, and the children learn English when they go to school. The teachers are Amish and they have no more than an eighth grade education themselves. When the landmark United States Supreme Court decision of 1972 gave exemption for Amish and related groups from state compulsory attendance laws beyond the eighth grade, Chief Justice Burger wrote: “it is neither fair nor correct to suggest that the Amish are opposed to education beyond the eighth grade level. What this record shows is that they are opposed to conventional formal education of the type provided by a certified high school because it comes at the child’s crucial adolescent period of religious development.”

Mennonites, on the other hand, have dozens of parochial elementary schools, more than 20 high schools, eleven colleges, and three seminaries sponsored by Mennonite groups in North America. Mennonite families choose whether to send their children to public or churchsponsored schools. Higher education became a vocational necessity as Mennonites left the farm. Missions and service opportunities also gave rise to the need for higher education.”

Where to Tour a One Room Amish Schoolhouse

You can’t visit a working Amish school, but you can step inside one. Amish Country Homestead & One-Room School, Amish Farm and House, and Amish Village each let you see how an Amish classroom looks and runs. These are places set up for visitors, so they’re the right way to learn about Amish education in person.

Learn More

Learn more about Amish life in our guides to Amish beliefs, Amish history, and the Amish FAQ. Please remember that working Amish schools are not tourist attractions. Don’t photograph children or approach a schoolhouse.

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