Daily AncestorAt school
At school in a census occupation column, or a mark in the school column, meant the person attended school during the census year.
From 1850 the census had a column for people who had been at school within the year, marked with a tick or a 1. Sunday schools were excluded, and the 1870 instructions also excluded evening schools.
Enumerators also often wrote at school or attending school in the occupation column for children. It suggests a local school record or teacher's register might exist.
As seen in a recordOccupation and school columns of the 1850 to 1940 census
Wm. H., 12, son, At school
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "At school." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/at-school. Last checked 2026-10-01.