“Enter with a joyful countenance,” so notes a sign on the door of one of the 200 one-room schools serving the Amish community of Lancaster County.

The Amish children attend school until the eighth grade and each school usually has around 30 students spread across the eight grades. In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Amish community controlling the education of their children and allowed the students to stop formal schooling at 14 years old. While at school they study subjects such as reading, arithmetic, spelling, grammar, penmanship, history and geography. The classes are taught by a young Amish woman.

The local Amish community purchases the land and all of the materials for the schools. The fathers build and maintain the schools. Although the Amish pay property taxes, they not accept any government funds for their schools. The Amish system of education provides cohesion to the community by reducing outside influences on the children and upholding the Amish values.

A pump is located outside to provide fresh water.

Here are a few pictures from a Sunday afternoon drive through small portion of the county.