When schools were first started - and I am not going to give a date here, which would be wrong, knowing me — they came after recalcitrant citizens HERE IN THE US with guns.
“By 1900, 34 states had compulsory schooling laws, 4 of which were in the South. 30 states with compulsory schooling laws required attendance until age 14 (or higher). As a result, by 1910, 72 percent of American children attended school. Half the nation’s children attended one-room schools. In 1918, every state required students to complete elementary school.” from Wikipedia.