Coushatta Indian Village School was known as an “Indian school” for Native American Indian students living within the confines of the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation established and organized in 1881.
Rev. Currie and Mrs. Currie went to what is now the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation to establish a school in 1881. Mrs. Currie tried to conduct a school for the children. She was paid by the state from the public school fund by the State of Texas for her work. (Ref: INDIANS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS, Lessie Carlton, B. S., August 1939)
Following Rev. Currie's death, she conducted a school and a Sunday School. Mrs. Chambers began teaching a little mission school in 1889. This little mission school would become what is now Coushatta Indian Village School. Mrs. C. W. Chambers began teaching at the little mission school in 1889. The little mission school was supported partly by the church and partly by a public school fund.
Coushatta Indian Village School was a 1-8 school which educated students in grades 1 through 8. School stopped after 8th grade. Missionaries taught English at this school and the little mission school.
Up until 1916 all of the teaching was done by Mrs. C. W. Chambers for six months each year. The school term was only a six month period. Mrs. C. W. Chambers was the main teacher for this school and she was well respected. Teachersfor this school were Mr. J. H. Wilbanks, Mrs. J. H. Wilbanks, and Mrs. C. W. Chambers. Mr. W. Chambers served as principal.
Congress made an appropriation of $5,000 for a school building for the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation in 1918 upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior for an additional $2,000 for educational purposes. (Ref: INDIANS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS, Lessie Carlton, B. S., August 1939)
School was taught in a wooden shack that was constructed out of pinewood. Coushatta Indian Village School operated under the Coushatta Indian Village School District No. 17 located in Livingston, Texas. Languages taught at the school were English, Spanish, and Koasati (Coushatti).
San Antonio Express contained a short account of them in 1922, which shows that people at that time were beginning to take note of them. Almost half a century went by without any official relations with these first inhabitants of Texas. (Ref: Woman Finds Texas Indians Near Extinction, San Antonio Express, December 10, 1922)
60 scholastics enumerated the 1924-1925 school year. Over 50 students were counted for daily attendance. Coushatta Indian Village School received educational funding from the State of Texas which gave them about six months of school with one teacher.
At the beginning of the 1927-1928 school year is when the State of Texas made the Coushatta Indian Village School District eligible to receive rural aid. The Coushatta Indian Village School was not eligible for rural aid until 1928 since the school district did not levy a tax. Despite not being eligible for rural aid, the school received state funding regardless. Appropriations of $1,035 were given in state apportionment. Industrial aid was $256 dollars. (Ref: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699459/m2/1/high_res_d/1002503270-Carlton.pdf)
By 1928 two small frame buildings compromised the Coushatta Indian Village School. One building was specifically for the primary school grades (elementary school grades). 1928 was the year when Coushatta Indian Village School began offering high school classes. (Ref: http://alabamacoushatta.weebly.com/education.html)
The following letter was produced to show what was being done for the education of the Indian children:
STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,
Austin, Texas, Jan. 16, 1929
Indian Village School District No. 17,
Pinckney, Polk County, Texas
The school at Indian Village has received the
State apportionment based on the scholastic census through the years.
Since this school district did not levy a tax, it was not eligible for rural aid until
last year. The Fortieth Legislature placed an exemption clause in the rural aid
bill which exempted this district from taxation and made it eligible to receive
aid. For the school year 1927-28 this district received aid as follows:
Teachers' Salaries..................$500.00
Industrial aid.........................$256.00
High School Tuition................$90.00
For the school year 1927-28 sixty-nine scholastics
received State apportionment. The records in this department
show that $l,035.00 State apportionment and $101.43 county
apportionment were received by them. The Fortieth Legislature
also set aside $1,000 as a special appropriation for the education
of these Indian children.
(Signed) S. M. N. Marrs,
State Superintendent
(Ref: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699459/m2/1/high_res_d/1002503270-Carlton.pdf)
State administration for the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation began in 1930 despite being given state funding. Despite not being eligible for rural aid, the school received state funding regardless of government control. Both state and federal aid has been given them since this time. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth204525/m1/770/?q=woodville%20%22indian%20village%20school%22)
Teachers for this school in 1932 were Mr. J. H. Wilbanks, Mrs. J. H. Wilbanks, and Mrs. C. W. Chambers.
The state began making appropriations for the reservation and designated the Texas State Board of Control as the supervising agency in 1933. The Board for Texas State Hospitals and Special Schools (now TXDADS) and Texas State Board of Control managed the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation between 1949 and 1965.
The Indian Village School closed in 1946 and was consolidated into Livingston ISD and Big Sandy ISD. A petition request was filled asking that students be allowed to attend Livingston schools if they desired so by parents demands. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth762496/m1/1/zoom/?q=%22indian%20village%20school%22&resolution=2&lat=3548&lon=2585.5)
Nevertheless, the consolidation process went smooth and was uneventful. There was no segregation or discrimination with Big Sandy ISD or Livingston ISD. (Ref: https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth762305/m1/13/zoom/?q=woodville%20%22indian%20village%20school%22&resolution=3&lat=4618.803453275523&lon=1645.544019602609)
After Indian Village School closed, the school building would serve as the center of a new kindergarden program. This building would later serve as a welcome center.
The old wooden shack was removed from the site by 1950 leaving Coushatta Indian Village School with the original building in tact. Appropriations were used to build an equipped modern school building sometime during the 20th century. In its place today is a new modern school building. The original wooden building is still extant while the other wooden building had been removed.
A new brick building constructed on a rectangular built on a rectangular building plan was constructed at the address of 1111 Colabe Road in 1951. The building itself was a single story rectangular building. Wood made of 20% percent of this building. (Ref: NETR Historical Aerials 1952 aerial)
Sometime during the 21st century is when the rectangular building was either demolished or auctioned off. Exactly as to what happened to this building remains unclear to this day.
The new Coushatta Indian Village School is located 1082 Colabe Road, Livingston, Texas, US 77351. The old Coushatta Indian Village School was located at 1111 Colabe Road, Livingston, Texas, US 77351.
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