The first schools in Martinsville were taught in private homes from 1823. In 1827 a log school was built. The tuition was one or two dollars per child and the terms were three months long.
     The Morgan County Academy was organized in 1839 and The Women's Academy was established in 1855, but was short lived. Students from throughout the county came to Martinsville to study and many boarded or stayed with relatives in town during school sessions.

Martinsville High School 1910 Martinsville High School 1913

Free public schools were adopted by law in 1843. Property tax became a source of funding for the education system but the first high school was organized and financed by twenty influential men from Martinsville.      The Martinsville High School was a free source of higher education. It was housed in an old Baptist church from 1860 until 1867 when a new school was built. Three students were honored at the first high school graduation commencement on June 17, 1875. One full block of land in the south east part of town was purchased in 1883 and in 1913 a large brick high school was built and used until the early 1970s.

    The pride of the High School was the Glenn Curtis Memorial Gymnasium built in 1923-24. Advertised as the largest gymnasium in the world, it seated 5,382 people. The building was remodeled and is still in use at the West Middle Junior High School.

The current schools in Martinsville are: Central Elementary Poston Road Elementary South Elementary Smith Elementary West Middle Junior High School East Middle Junior High School Martinsville Senior High School

Glenn Curtis Memorial Gymnasium

     Martinsville became an independent school district in 1870. The Metropolitan School District of Martinsville provides transportation for 65% of its students to the twelve schools throughout the district. Free Internet connections to these schools are provided by SCICAN.

     Opportunities for higher education in the area include, three universities, two colleges and one technical school all of which are located within 35 miles of Martinsville. State Road 67 and State Road 37, both of which are four-lane highways facilitate an easy commute.