This work examines the system of public education in Stavropol Governorate in the period 1804-1917. The present part of the work covers the development of the region's public education system in the period 1804-1871. In putting this work together, the authors drew upon both various regulatory documents issued in the Russian Empire in the area of public education, including some of those listed in the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire, and a set of statistical digests. In terms of methodology, the authors made extensive use of the statistical method. The use of this method helped identify some of the key distinctive characteristics of the making and development of the system of public education in Stavropol Governorate in the period 1804-1871. To achieve their research objectives, the authors also employed a set of general methods of research, including analysis and synthesis, concretization, and summarization. In addition, use was made of the historical-situational method to explore particular historical facts in the context of the era under study in conjunction with various "neighboring" events and facts. The authors' conclusion is that the period 1804-1871 was a time of the making of the system of public education in Stavropol Governorate. It was a complicated process, as there was a war waged in the Caucasus up to 1864 (the Caucasian War of 1817-1864). Nevertheless, by 1871 the governorate became home to an extensive network of educational institutions, which included secondary (two gymnasia), lower (five uyezd schools and one St. Aleksandra female school), and primary educational institutions (52 primary schools). In addition, a key role in the development of the governorate's system of primary education was played by the Department of Religious Affairs, which ran 56 primary educational institutions in the region.