Raised eyes looking at a historical marker in Belpre will soon discover that the roots of education in America run deep in Belpre.  Bathsheba Rouse is recognized as the first woman to teach in the Northwest Territory. Rouse arrived in the region along with other pioneers in 1788. The following year, the Belpre community employed Rouse to teach young children in the Farmers’ Castle near the Ohio River. Instruction in reading, writing and sewing was reserved for the girls, while boys received lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic. Bathsheba Rouse Greene died on Feb. 27, 1843, at the age of 73 and is buried alongside her husband in Marietta’s Mound Cemetery.

​

For the 2022 school year, there are 2 public schools serving 962 students in Belpre City School District. The district mascot is the Golden Eagle. Washington County Career Center offers vocational programs to high school students in all districts in Washington County, plus a full range of certificate programs in its Adult Technical Training Department.

​

Post-secondary education opportunities abound, with students having easy access to training and degree programs offered through Washington State Community College, Marietta College, West Virginia University at Parkersburg, all within a 20-minute commute. A mid-major university, Ohio University, is located approximately 35 minutes west.

​

​