For most of American History, schools (particularly primary schools) were private institutions. When we first began to settle The West, most children were home-schooled. When towns and villages had groups of children, the parents of the town (or sometimes a local benefactor) would get together and pay for a school teacher and a purpose built facility.
As towns and cities grew, the concept of using taxpayer revenue to fund state-sponsored schools became the norm, but not until very late in the 19th Century.
Parents maintained some semblance of control over the state schools for a while with Parent Teacher Associations, but those organizations are largely ineffectual now as textbook publication and curriculums are controlled at a Federal level.
