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"The plan that Jefferson offered [in 1786] called for each county to be divided into 'hundreds' and a school built in each hundred so conveniently located that all free boys and girls might attend daily. For 3 years all children would receive free [education], and any child might attend longer at private expense. Pupils would be taught reading, writing, and common arithmetic and become acquainted with Greek, Roman, English, and American history through the books used for reading. From each group of about 10 elementary schools one boy 'of the bet and most promising genius and disposition' whose parents were too poor to continue his [education] would be chosen each year to proceed to one of the grammar schools serving several counties. He would be boarded and his tuition paid by the state. Other qualified students whose parents could support their education also would be admitted to the grammar schools, where they would be taught Latin, Greek, English grammar, geography, and advanced arithmetic. After one year, the least promising third of the state-supported scholars would be cut, and after two years only one -- 'the best in genius and disposition' -- would be allowed to continue at public expense for another 4 years. With 20 grammar schools proposed, Jefferson envisioned '20 of the best geniuses raked from the rubbish annually'. From this select group, each grammar school in alternate years would send the most promising scholar to the College of William and Mary to be educated, boarded, and clothed at state expense for 3 years. In a system with 20 grammar schools, 10 'public foundationers' would thus annually reach the peak of the educational pyramid. As Jefferson saw his proposal, 'The ultimate result of the whole scheme of education would be teaching all children of the state reading, writing, and common arithmetic: turning out 10 annually of superior genius, well taught in Greek, Latin, geography, and the higher branches of arithmetic: turning out 10 others annually, of still superior parts, who, to those branches of learning, shall have added such of the sciences as their genius shall have led them to.'" --- Noble E. Cunningham 1987 _In Pursuit of Reason: The Life of Thomas Jefferson_ pg59 (citing Julian Boyd _Papers of Jefferson_ vol2 pp526-533; Thomas Jefferson _Notes on Virginia_ pg146)
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