<P> The colonies had no schools of law . A few young American students studied at the prestigious Inns of Court in London . The majority of aspiring lawyers served apprenticeships with established American lawyers, or "read the law" to qualify for bar exams . Law became very well established in the colonies, compared to medicine, which was in rudimentary condition . In the 18th century, 117 Americans had graduated in medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland, but most physicians learned as apprentices in the colonies . </P> <P> The trustees of the Academy of Philadelphia (later the University of Pennsylvania) established the first medical school in the colonies in 1765 . In New York, the medical department of King's College was established in 1767, and in 1770 it awarded the first American M.D. degree . </P> <P> After the Revolution, northern states especially emphasized education and rapidly established public schools . By the year 1870, all states had tax - subsidized elementary schools . The US population had one of the highest literacy rates in the world at the time . Private academies also flourished in the towns across the country, but rural areas (where most people lived) had few schools before the 1880s . </P> <P> In 1821, Boston started the first public high school in the United States . By the close of the 19th century, public secondary schools began to outnumber private ones . </P>

When was the american public school system established