<P> The South, overwhelmingly rural, had few schools of any sort until the Revolutionary era . Wealthy children studied with private tutors; middle - class children might learn to read from literate parents or older siblings; many poor and middle - class white children, as well as virtually all black children, went unschooled . Literacy rates were significantly lower in the South than the north; this remained true until the late nineteenth century . </P> <P> A unique exception to this state of Southern education is the Ursuline Academy in New Orleans . This institution, founded in 1727 by the Catholic sisters of the Order of Saint Ursula, was both the oldest, continuously - operating school for girls and the oldest Catholic school in the United States . It also holds many American firsts, including the first female pharmacist, first woman to contribute a book of literary merit, first convent, first free school and first retreat center for ladies, and first classes for female African - American slaves, free women of color, and Native Americans . </P> <P> Secondary schools were rare outside major towns such as Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Charleston . Where they existed, secondary schools generally emphasized Latin grammar, rhetoric, and advanced arithmetic with the goal of preparing boys to enter college . Some secondary schools also taught practical subjects such as accounting, navigation, surveying, and modern languages . Some families sent their children to live and work with other families (often relatives or close friends) as a capstone to their education . </P> <P> The first colleges, not including pre-collegiate academies, were: </P>

Which statement is true of american education before the early 1800s