After the folk school law was passed in 1866, Jämsä decided to take part in the progress. The first school of Jämsä, the Jokivarsi school, started teaching in rented rooms in the year 1869. During the next decades the school network expanded over the entire area of Jämsä, of which Jämsänkoski and Koskenpää were also a part at that time, at a rapid speed.

Already back then the parish was known for its high level of education, also among the poor. The Boards of the schools supported the schooling of children with limited means e.g. by paying for the children's school supplies, food and even the repair of their shoes. Thus, an effort was made to remove all obstacles from the children's path to learning.

The number of schools has declined since the late 1960s due to school closures. The largest waves took place in the years 1963 and 1967, when nine schools in the Jämsä area were shut down due to the decrease in pupil numbers. After these years village schools have been shut down every now and then. The third closure wave will be in 2006, when three village schools in the current Jämsä area will be shut down.

Next, the operating and closed schools of Jämsä from the year 1869 are presented. At the top are the schools that are still operating and at the bottom the schools that have been shut down.

For more information about the schools of Jämsä:

Jämsän kaupungin koulutoimi (City of Jämsä education authority)

Copy: Saija Silén

Sources
Jämsän koulut -section:
ARS Suomen taide parts 1 - 3.
Nikula, Riitta: Rakennettu Maisema - Suomen arkkitehtuurin vuosisadat. Keuruu 1993.
Keski-Suomen historia parts I - III
Keski-Suomen museo: Rakennusinventointitiedot
Kulha, Keijo K.: Vanhan Jämsän historia 1860-luvulta vuoteen 1925. Turku 1974.
Kuusisto, Seppo: Jämsän historia osat I ja II.Vammala 1989.
Patjas, Auli et al.: Jämsän rakennusperinnettä. Jyväskylä 1982.
Pitkäjärvi, Pekka: Jämsän koululaitoksen vaiheita 110 vuoden ajalta. Jämsä Lehti Oy 1980.
Putkonen, Lauri: Rakennusperintömme - Kulttuuriympäristön lukukirja. Helsinki 2001.
Räsänen, Timo: Jämsänkosken ja Koskenpään historia. Valkeakoski 1986.
Suur-Jämsän historia, part 2. 1962
Suur-Jämsän historia, part 3. 1963