School: a History in the U.S.

My daughter asked me to do a "current event" on the history of schools: when did kids start going to school, etc. So here we go: 

For thousands of years, people have had the ability to read and write, though often it was only boys who were taught or only the elite. For instance, during Roman times, it is estimated that only 3% of Jews were literate (could read and write their names). In Medieval Europe, only the clergy were usually literate. The first "schools" were through institutions set up by the Church to teach their own.

Question #1: How many years ago did the first schools begin in the United States? 
Answer: 1635 (almost 400 years ago!) There wasn't even a U.S. yet, just British colonies. In 1690, the first textbooks were brought over from England.

Question #2: Where was the first public school? 
Answer: Boston (why was Boston probably the first place?). In 1642, the colonies made it a law that all colonies provide public education, however it was not free. Two hundred years later, by 1870, all states had free public schools.

Question #3: Who went to school initially? 
Answer: Only boys. (Why not girls? What were they doing?) Girls who did learn to read and write were usually taught at home, by tutors, and were part of the elite.

Question #4: Were there separate classes for each grade?
Answer: No, all classes were in one room, under the direction of one teacher.

Question #5: When did it become a rule that all kids had to go to school? 
Answer: By 1900 (a little over 100 years ago), almost all states required kids to go to school until age 14. (Why not 18?) Half of all kids at this time went to one-room schools.

Kids: what do you love most about school? What would you do if you didn't have to go to school?