Original Item: Only One Available. Higher primary schools are general educational institutions of the Russian Empire , intermediate between primary and secondary. By preliminary rules, approved by the highest on January 24, 1803, county schools were established in county and provincial cities.

On November 5, 1804, the charter of educational institutions subordinated to universities was issued. According to this charter, the district school was to serve as a preparatory institution for the gymnasium .

On December 8, 1828, a new charter for district schools was issued, according to which they were intended mainly for the children of the merchants, chief officers and nobles.

The course of study was divided into three classes (in the Vilna educational district - into two). The following subjects were taught: the Law of God, sacred and church history, Russian, arithmetic, geometry up to and including stereometry, but without evidence; geography, Russian history and general abbreviated history, calligraphy, drafting and drawing. With the permission of the Minister of Public Education, additional courses could be opened to teach "those sciences and arts, of which knowledge is most conducive to success in trade and industry".

This silvered non magnetic belt buckle would have been worn in conjunction with a student’s uniform while attending a “City School”. The buckle would have been attached to a patent black leather belt. The condition is excellent and does show minor wear and use.

According to the regulation of May 26, 1869, two-class city men's (on the rights of county) and women's schools were created in the Kiev , Podolsk and Volyn provinces . The course of study lasted only two years in them; these schools accepted children who could read, write and count (4 steps of arithmetic). At each men's school there was a preparatory class with a course equal to the course of one-class public schools; in the preparatory class, children of both sexes studied together, or (where necessary) shifts were opened for the separate education of girls.

Since 1875, according to the regulation of May 31, 1872, the transformation of county schools into city schools began , which happened on the initiative of Count D. A. Tolstoy when he was Minister of Public Education. The minister was struck by the fact that many high school students left their studies without completing the course. It was decided that in order to divert boys from the lower grades of gymnasiums who entered there without the hope of completing the course, special educational institutions were needed with a course shorter and easier than the course of gymnasiums and real schools .

Simultaneously with the regulation on city schools, the regulation on teachers' institutes was approved and it was decided to gradually transform district schools into city schools "as teachers are being prepared at teachers' institutes into them." This transformation, however, proceeded slowly - over the course of 10 years, out of 402 district schools that were to be converted into city schools, only 184 were converted. By 1899, 111 district schools remained in the Russian Empire.

City schools were divided into one-, two-, three-, and four-class schools, but in special cases and upon special petitions, five- and six-class schools could be established. In this case, the “class” does not mean a period of study of 1 academic year, but the number of streams studying in parallel. In all of them, despite the different number of classes, the course of study lasted six years - the division depended not so much on the volume of the course, but on the number of teachers, which was determined by the amount of money allocated by city councils for the maintenance of schools.

The curriculum of city schools included: 1) the law of God; 2) reading and writing; 3) Russian language and Church Slavonic reading with translation into Russian; 4) arithmetic, 5) practical geometry; 6) geography and history of the fatherland with the necessary information from general history and geography; 7) information from natural history and physics; 8) drawing and drawing; 9) singing; 10) gymnastics. In addition, with the permission of the Ministry of Public Education, other subjects (additional) could be taught.

Passing a course of a county or city school was a prerequisite for the production of clerical servants in the first class rank of a collegiate registrar . Office workers who were not trained in schools could at any age pass a special examination for the first class rank, which coincided with the course of schools; the exam was taken at gymnasiums.

Education in city schools was paid. The amount ranged from 8 to 18 rubles per year.

The list of educational institutions of the department of the Ministry of Public Education for 1890/91 included 400 city schools: one-class - 6, two-class - 124, three-class - 210, four-class - 65, five-class - 3, six-class - 2.

In the provinces of Kiev , Podolsk and Volyn (with the exception of the cities of Kiev, Rivne , Ostrog and Chigirin) according to the Regulations of May 26, 1869, there were “two-class city men’s (on the rights of county) and women’s schools, with preparatory classes and shifts for the latter for girls” on the basis of a special provision for these only provinces. The course of study in them lasted only two years. At each such men's school there was a preparatory class with a course equal to the course of one-class public schools. Education in such schools was free, but the trustee of the educational district was given the right to impose a fee. In 1890/91, according to the Regulations of May 26, 1869, there were only 85 schools in the Russian Empire.