School Census Records Offer Lots of Genealogical Info

Did you know that school districts take a census each year to determine the state’s allocation of funds to each district? Many of these documents have been digitized online and if you’re researching your family tree, it may be worth while to trace down your ancestors in the school census records. You may find lots of valuable genealogical information to help build your family tree.

What can I find in school census records? 

Clay County, Minnesota school census records 1915

• Names of children
• Gender
• Names of parents or guardian
• The children’s birth dates
• The age of the child at the time of the census
• Post office location – this can help pinpoint where they lived
• Weeks of attendance
• Parent or guardian signature
• Race
• Nationality
• Disabilities

Where can I find school census records?

 
If you know the location of the school, you can start there. Many schools keep a record of their census records. If the school is no longer around, you can check with the state archives or local genealogical or historical societies. Those records may have been passed on to them. You can also do some online research. Many more school census records are making their way into online databases. Check out sites like FamilySearch or the genealogy search engine Mocavo for digitized copies.

Once you find the records, make sure to add them to your relatives’ profiles on Geni to share your discoveries with your family!