In 1852 the Free Education Act was placed on the Statute Book of Before that, people of different districts established and maintained schools by voluntary contributions aided by small grants from the Govern¬ ment to licenced teachers, therefore the oldest and most prosperous settlements benefitted while thousands of children could neither read nor write. In 1852 there were 160 schools per 68,000 population. In 1871 there were 330 places of learning on P.E.I. The Lower Freetown teacher taught Grades 1 to X inclusive until 1962. The districts around had combined to form a Regional High School Unit and Athena Regional High School was built in Summerside in 1962. The Pupils in Grades IX, X , XI, XI 1 are taken to and brought home from Athena each day by bus. Before this school was built pupils wishing to take Grades XI or XI 1 usually went to Summerside or High Schools or Prince of Wales College, Charlottetown . The tax-payers in the Regional Unit with help from the Government built this school and support it. In 1969-70 school year Grades VI 1 and VI 11 pupils of Lower Freetown School, by special arrangement between the schools and the Department of Education were taught in North Bedeque School. In 1970-71 the Lower Freetown Grades VII and VI11 pupils are being taken by Athena bus to a new temporary school built next to Athena Regional High School. Since alt the Grades VI 1 and VI 1 1 pupils in the Regional Unit do not attend this school each school district sending students, with some Government help pays for its own pupils. The Vocational School is built near Athena Regional, so students who wish to take Vocational training may go on the Athena bus. Some teachers who have taught in Lower Freetown School are: Mr. Donald R. Stewart ; Mr. Ephraim Muttart ; Miss Maria Crawford , Middleton ( Mrs. John Cairns , Lower Freetown ) Miss Sarah Jane Cameron , Searletown ( Mrs. Jesse Burns , Lower Freetown ) Mr. Duncan Cameron , Albany (married Margaret Jane Cairns , Lower Freetown ); Miss Jane Brehaut , Summerside ; Miss Barbara Cole , Lower Bedeque ( Mrs. Ben Bowness , Mont rose); Miss Ellen Cairns , Lower Freetown ( Mrs. Elijah Moase , New Annan); Mr. Frank Lawson , Charlottetown ; Miss Christine MacMillan , Charlottetown ; Mr. William MacKenzie , Wood Islands , Miss Isabella (Belle) J. Cameron ( Mrs. J. Roy Burns , Lower Freetown ); Mr. Milton Mollison , Summerside ; Mr. Fred Auld , Covehead (Missionary to China); Miss Jessie Humphrey, ( Mrs. Frank Curtis , Middleton) ; Miss Nellie MacCallum, Lower Bedeque ( Mrs. Marsh ); Miss Helen Whidden , North Bedeque; Miss Lois Price , Chelton ( Mrs. Lowther ); Miss Mary A. Robertson , North River ; Miss Ella Costain , Cape Wolfe ( Mrs Robert Schurman , Halifax, N.S.); Miss Irene Lecky , North Bedeque ( Mrs. James A. Hill , Summerside ); Miss Jessie Clark . North Bedeque ( Mrs. Preston Bowness , North Bedeque ); Miss Bertie Deacon , Freetown ( Mrs. George Jardine , Freetown ); Miss Ida Cairns, Lower Freetown ( Mrs. Eber Sanborn , Grindrod, B.C. ); Miss Annie Mathieson, Read's Corner; Miss Winnie Villet , Westmoreland ; Miss Marion 26