A study of historical background of the frontier and rural schools in Colorado describes education in the United State in general and the development of the educational process and school facilities during five phases of Colorado's economic and political development. "The Nation" discusses philosophies generally held during the middle 1800s which influenced educational practices. "Colorado: The Pre-Statehood Years" describes the effects of gold mining on public schools and describes school district establishment in Larimer county as typical of that time. "Colorado: Early Statehood (1876-1900)" describes the legal, historical, and social developments of that era and examines Weld County as typical. "Colorado: Early Twentieth Century (1900-1920)" describes the effects of new population growth on Colorado's rural school districts and discusses centralization and consolidation as the major forms of rural school improvement during the period. "Colorado: 1920-1940" discusses the influence on the rural schools of the Great Depression, and the trend toward rural decline. "Colorado: 1940-1950" discusses the impact of problems with aging school buildings, teacher recruitment and tenure, school funding, population shifts, changing economic interests, and post-War social trends on rural school systems. (CM)