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Wrentham’s Little Red Schoolhouse: A Long History of Educating Children

Written by Grace Allen and submitted by Sheena Clutterbuck.


Once upon a time, there was a little red schoolhouse. Scores of area children passed through its doors to be educated. One hundred and fifty-two years later, the iconic structure is still standing and still educating children today.



The Little Red Schoolhouse, or “Little Red” as it is affectionately known, is now a non-profit cooperative preschool, and its directors, both past and present, view their role not just as educators but as caretakers of history.


Maintaining the school “was a labor of love,” acknowledged Donna Dunn, the school’s former director. Dunn retired in 2007 after nearly two decades at the school’s helm.


Amy Tierney, the current director, said, “The roots of the school are what we are so connected with.”


History of the School


The Little Red Schoolhouse was known as the Sheldonville School when it was built in 1869 to replace several one-room district schools (neighborhood schools) located in private homes throughout the area.