The Kinkaid School
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The oldest private non-parochial school in Houston, the Kinkaid School was started in 1906 by Margaret Hunter Kinkaid. Unable to teach in the public schools because of a regulation prohibiting married women instructors, Mrs. Kinkaid began teaching students in her home at the corner of San Jacinto and Elgin streets. The first pupils were seven kindergarten students who met in her dining room. As the school grew, the Kinkaid Cottage was raised and a new first floor was constructed to provide classroom space. In order to meet increased enrollment demands and administrative responsibilities, a school board was organized in 1924 and plans were begun for a new facility at the corner of Richmond and Graustark. A high school program was added soon after. With the continued leadership of Mrs. Kinkaid and the development of innovative educational programs adapted from her ideas and observations, the school became nationally known. Mrs. Kinkaid retired shortly before her death in 1951 and was succeeded by John H. Cooper, under who administration the present campus was developed. A leader in quality education, the Kinkaid School has been the alma mater of many prominent business and professional leaders.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1906 Margaret Hunter Kinkaid, barred from public-school teaching because she was married, began instructing seven kindergartners in her Houston dining room. Her home school grew into the Kinkaid School, the city's oldest private non-parochial school, expanding through new campuses and a high school program as its reputation spread nationally. She led it until shortly before her death in 1951.
Why it matters
Kinkaid's story shows both the barriers married women faced in the profession and how one teacher's ideas could build a lasting institution from a single room.
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Related people
- · Margaret Hunter Kinkaid
Themes & tags
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