Education
New York has served as a national leader in education from the inception of public schooling. New York schools have pioneered approaches and methods ranging from standardized testing to bilingual education and vocational training.
Education Records in the State Archives
The State Archives holds educational records created by the State Education Department and other State agencies. The records document the development of educational programs at all levels - from elementary schooling to post-graduate certification. Most early records relating to education were destroyed in the 1911 Capitol fire. The records held by the Archives include:
- Some statistical reports on colleges and universities starting 1911 and ending in the 1950s.
- Statistical and financial data for school districts starting 1904 and continuing in paper or electronic format up to the near-present.
- State Education Department (SED) Primary and Secondary Education Data, 1967-1981
Please note: The State Archives does not hold professional licenses, teaching certificates, or school transcripts. We can, however, direct you to the best sources for this information:
- New York State Education Department Office of the Professions
- New York State Education Department Office of Higher Education
The following finding aids describe a variety of education-related records in the State Archives:
- The Greatest Reform
School in the World: A Guide to the Records of the New York House of Refuge
- Guide to Records Relating to Native Americans, including the Thomas Indian School
You can continue your search for education records using Excelsior, the online catalog of the New York State Archives and State Library.
Education Records available throughout the State
Records documenting New York's educational institutions, academic programs, and faculty and student experiences can be found in the archives of specific schools, colleges, and universities and in historical societies, libraries, museums, archives, local governments, and other organizations throughout the state.
- Find out if an educational institution has an archives by using the Historical Records Repository Directory
- Public schools, school districts, community colleges, teacher centers, and BOCES are considered local governments in New York. Search the Directory of New York State Local Governments
- Find out if the archives of an educational institution has a website and/or on-line catalog by searching the New York listing of the Repositories of Primary Sources
- You can continue your search for educational records by searching the Historic Documents Inventory, the statewide section of Excelsior.
