School

During the Spanish period, a formal school never materialized despite many attempts. The Spanish Council of the Indies approved a request from citizens in 1796 but never built the school. In 1804, the same Council hired Fernando Ybáñez of New Orleans as the city teacher. Ybáñez never arrived. In 1812, a new council named Don Josef Salazar principal of a newly planned public school. The city designated plot number 1 - today’s Voices of Pensacola location - as the area for the school. There is no evidence that a school was ever built.

As the transition to an American territory solidified, educational opportunities rose. The first advertisement for a school came in the September 15th, 1821 edition of The Floridian. Henry Hill’s English School offered reading, writing, grammar, arithmetic, and book-keeping classes. By 1824, there were at least six teachers offering courses in science, English, French, Latin, and music. William Hassell Hunt, owner of the Pensacola Book Store, Circulating Library, and Editor of the newspaper, advocated for public education. His editorial in the October 22, 1825 edition supported female education at seminaries and academies.