(This page's most recent update is
June 2024)
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Do you research school records? I’m not talking about yearbooks. Those can be found on the Yearbooks Page. I’m talking about actual school records, such as enrollment, attendance, and grade reports for example. These are interesting source documents because they might record the student’s age, birth date and location, and possibly their parents’ names. All great ways to find this information if you haven’t found them in other documents about your target ancestor. Besides, finding out your grandmother’s grades would be interesting!
The record collection links, listed below, feature school records from the state, and list collections of records that are available for free online.
If you wish to get educated with some basic information regarding what is available and how to navigate your research for school records, you can read these summaries:
- 5 Quick Tips to Get the Most Out of Education Records
- Top 10 Strategies for Finding School Records for Genealogy
- Getting Started With School Records for Genealogy Research
So, what types of records related to schools are maintained and often available?
- School Census
- School Catalogs
- Teacher’s Registers
- Attendance Records
- Report Cards
- Class Logs
- Teacher Rosters
- School Board Meetings/Reports
- Academic Team and Class Photos
- Local Newspaper Articles:
- Graduation Lists
- School Activities
- School Sports
- Student Newspapers
- Alumni Directories and Publications
- Yearbooks
- Yearbook Indexes
And, what types of information can you derive from these school records?
- Name (often includes a middle name which is useful).
- Age
- Physical Characteristics – color/race, disability.
- Birth Date
- Current Residence Address
- Name of Father
- Name of Mother
- Occupations of parents
- Grades
- Classes Taken
- Activities (from Photos)
- Date left school (can help with family residence relocation)
Below is a list of links to free online school record collections for the state;
Note: Some of the links go to sites with not much information and some go to sites with an extensive set of records.
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
North Carolina School Records
- Alamance County Minutes, 1877-1948
- Albemarle School District Census
- Anson County College Students, pre 1940
- Anson County Minutes, 1873-1919
- Ashe County School Census Records 1883-1903
- Ashe County, School Records, 1881-1903
- Beaufort County Minutes, 1909-1957
- Beaufort County, School Record
- Bertie County Schools, Photos and Miscellaneous Data
- Bertie County, Miscellaneous School Photos
- Bladen County School Records 1893-1948
- Brunswick County Minutes, 1872-1935
- Brunswick County, Miscellaneous Record
- Buncombe County Miscellaneous Records, 1786-1946
- Burke County Minutes, 1885-1963
- Cabarrus County Schools, Photos and Miscellaneous Data
- Cabarrus County Minutes, 1841-1966
- Camden County Minutes, 1868-1917
- Caswell County Minutes, 1882-1935
- Caswell County, North Carolina School Committee Papers, Board of Superintendents of Common Schools Papers, Commissioners’ Papers, 1816-1877
- Caswell County, School Record, 1848-1926
- Chapel Hill, Alumni History of the University of North Carolina
- Cherokee Agency, Agency Records, 1898-1950
- Cherokee Agency, East School Records, 1907-1948
- Chowan College Minutes, 1848-1961
- Chowan County Common School Records 1839-1897
- Chowan County Returns 1764-1805
- Cleveland County School Records 1841-1905
- Cleveland County, School Record
- Cleveland County, Annual Report of the Public Schools, 1905-06
- Craven County School Children, Dist. No. 17, 1841
- Craven County School Records 1823-1874
- Cumberland County School Records, 1819-1975
- Cumberland County, School Index
- Davidson County School Records 1855-1934
- Davidson, Catalogue of the Officers, Professors, and Alumni of Davidson College from 1837-1881
- Davie County Schools, Miscellaneous Information
- Davie County Board Minutes, 1885-1967
- Davie County School Records 1831-1908
- Davie County, School Records, 1881-1927
- Duplin County School Records 1861-1935
- Durham County College Students, pre-1931
- Durham County, School Record
- Efird School Attendance Register
- Election Records and Returns 1791-1902
- Franklin County Minutes, 1885-1941
- Gaston County Minutes, 1885-1964
- Gaston County, School Records, 1855-1884
- Gates County Minutes, 1885-1927
- Gates County, Miscellaneous Records, 1780-1912
- Granville and Wake County School Records, 1825, 1840-1878, 1893, 1903-1904
- Granville County Schools Census
- Granville County Board Minutes, 1842-1865
- Greensboro High School Graduating Classes 1922 to 1968
- Halifax County Minutes, 1909-1951
- Halifax County, Miscellaneous Records, 1761-1927
- Halifax County, School Record
- Haywood County, School Records , 1830-1950
- Henderson Institute Individual School Census Cards
- Historical Records of Rowan County
- History of the University of North Carolina
- Jacksonville High School Graduating Class of 1931
- Jacksonville High School Graduating Class of 1937
- Jacksonville High School Graduating Class of 1950
- Johnston County Minutes, 1885-1938
- Johnston County, School Records, 1900-1968
- Jones County Minutes, 1873-1964
- Lincoln Co., North Carolina School Related Papers, including Student Lists, 1845-1863, 1883-1884, 1893-1897, 1899
- Lincoln County Minutes, 1885-1964
- Macon County School Records 1835-1928
- Macon County, School Record
- Madison County, School Record
- Maysville, Graduating Classes of White Oak High School,
1962-1971 - Mecklenburg County School Records 1798-1955
- Montgomery County Minutes, 1884-1926
- Mount Airy, Franklin Alumni Association, Graduates and School Personnel, 1929-1959
- Nash County Common School Register, District No. 2, 1878-1889
- Nash County School Records 1844-1963
- New Bern City Schools Scrapbook 1903-1918
- New Gilead Evangelical Reformed Church Sunday School Record, 1893-1901;
- New Hanover County School Records 1841-1850, 1856-1884, 1898-1899, 1913
- North Carolina Congress of Parents and Teachers: History
- North Carolina, County Records, 1833-1970
- North Carolina, School Record
- Orange County Minutes, 1872-1962
- Orange County, School Records, 1859-1911
- Pamlico County, School Records, 1923-1999
- Parent Teacher Association of the Spring Hope High School, Secretary’s Record [1955-1977]
- Pasquotank County School Records 1757-1914
- Pasquotank County, School Record
- Person County School Records 1792-1886, 1915, 1925
- Person County School Records 1832-1868
- Pitt County Minutes, 1884-1956
- Randolph County Report of the Superintendent of Common Schools, 1840-1864
- Randolph County, Miscellaneous Records, 1780-1922
- Register of Public School, District 32, Cleveland County,
- Richmond County Minutes of the Superintendents of Common Schools 1839-1840; Minutes of the County Board of Education, 1877-1925
- Richmond County School Records 1839-1903
- Rowan County Minutes, 1847-1962
- Rowan County School Census Returns and Records 1812, 1847-1906
- Rowan County, School Record
- Rutherford County Minutes, 1880-1922
- Rutherford County School Records 1880-1948
- Sampson County Minutes, 1895-1965
- St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Minutes and Register, 1868-1955; School Record, 1885-1923
- St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church Sunday School Rolls, 1889-1891
- Stanly County North Carolina Common School Register
- Stanly County, School Records, 1858-1911
- Stokes County School Records, 1840-1939
- The North Carolina Public School Register: District 48, County of Rockingham, White Race
- Transylvania County School Records 1881-1927
- Transylvania County, Miscellaneous School Records and Photos
- Various Records of the Public Schools in Morton Township, Alamance County
- Wake County School Records 1856, 1871-1939
- Wake County, School Index
- Wake County, School Record
- Wake County, School Register District 5 1893-1901
- Warren County Minutes, Board of County Commissioners, Board of Supt. of Common Schools, Board of Education, Board of Health, 1853-1965
- Warren County, Court Record
- Warren County, North Carolina Common School Registers and Index, 1858-1864, 1882-1884
- Warren County, School Record
- Washington, Board of School Trustees, Report, 1st-16th 1897/1898-1912/1913
- Watauga County School Records 1870-1896
- Wilkes County, Board of Education, Annual Report of the Public Schools of Wilkes County
- Wilkes County, School Census 1841-1853
- Williamston, Williamston Academy Minutes of Board of Trustees, 1817-1890
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!