David H. Robbins was built in 1949. Two additions were built: in 1960 and in 1997. There are approximately 250 pupils in grades K-6. Our school has about 15 classroom teachers, plus teachers in special areas.

Our interim principal is Mr. Max Bovee, retired principal, filling in until January. We will be sorry to see him leave at that time. He is doing a wonderful job.

The recent Zogby poll gave a high rating to our school and teachers. A new state evaluation for Fourth Grade rated Robbins Elementary number three in the county for language arts.

The school also has a morning program, newspaper club, gifted program, and arts for gifted children program.

Much more will be added to this page. MUCH more. The children and teachers will be thinking how they can co-ordinate this into some school projects. There will be photos of the school activities and perhaps the school calendar, newspaper and special projects. If anyone has some good ideas, contact the Elementary School.

Early Schools (From the Book, Town of St. Johnsville) If you wish to read more go to: Fort Klock where the entire book is available.

The Town of St. Johnsville Commissioners of Common Schools ledger dates from August 1, 1838 to November 1918.

It is a record for setting up the original school districts in the new Town of St. Johnsville, and establishing each district's boundaries. The first entry records the transfer of funds from the Town of Oppenheim.

In the ledger, each district is listed along with teachers wages and teachers names, as well as the amount for the library (school books) . Teachers wages and the amount for the library were computed by the number of children m each district and the number of days they attended school .

In the early years of the town, citizens petitioned the commissioners to join or leave certain districts. I surmise that this was done in order to have their children attend the school which was closest to their farm or home.

There were also combined school districts such as the Manheim and East Creek district, Oppenheim and Ephratah district, and an Oppenheim and St. Johnsville district. The names of residents in the school districts are familiar to me for they are the names of those I have just studied on the 1838 town road district lists. it would be interesting to compare the two lists and thus locate each school and district.

The following information is from the first page of the ledger. Because it is interesting to compare the wages and costs of books with today's school expenses, I have also included the statistics of one hundred years ago. Before free schools were established in 1867, each parent or guardian had to pay a "rate bill , at the end of the school year for the pro rata cost of the instruction given to the children of the particular family.

1838 - Copied from the Superintendent of Common School's first ledger

To the Superintendent of Common Schools of the State of New York

We the Commissioners of Common Schools of the Town of St. Johnsville in the County of Montgomery in conformity to the statute in relation to common schools d report that the number of school districts in our town is three and number of parts of school districts is six.

(To condense the information I will give the figures for District No. 2

The school was open 12 mo, received Monies of $38.41, 101 pupils, Amount paid teachers besides public monies, $140.00.)

Parts of district 1 were combined with Manheim, parts of district 2 were combined with St. Johnsville and Oppenheim, parts of district 4 were combined with Oppenhein and Ephratah, and parts of district 14 were combined with Palatine and Ephratah.

$597.82 was paid out for teachers wages.

We the said commissioners do further certify and report that the whole amount of school money received by us was given as a part of the Town of Oppenheim and was distributed by our predecessors in office for the use of common schools down to the year ending on the date of this report and since the date of the last Oppenheim school commissioner's report. The books most in use in the Common Schools in our town are Biekhams English Grammer, Church Huntingtons & Woodbridges Geography, and Marshals Elementary Spelling Books.

August 1, 1838 George Lake ................Commissioners of Common Schools

A. R. Groat

Barney Becker

Town Clerk

The names on the road and school district lists are mostly German and English. Eight families of Palatine Germans, with a vote of 65, accounted for 25% of the electorate. Under the following family names are the number of individuals by that name who were taxed: Klock 20, Nellis 12, Fox 8, Helegas 6, Walrath 6, Vedder 5, Flander 4, Zimmerman 4.