Education in The Simpsons

Education is a common recurring theme in the Television show The Simpsons. Many of the episodes feature scenes at the fictional Springfield Elementary School and several plotlines have also revolved around education. Many different themes have been featured, including lack of funding of public schools ("The PTA Disbands") and evolution vs. creationism ("The Monkey Suit").

Other episodes have revolved around the fictional Springfield University, which is where Homer went when fired from the Nuclear Power Plant ("Homer Goes to College"). Lisa also secretly started attending it in the episode "Little Girl in the Big Ten".

In general, many of Springfield's citizen's educational level is not specified in the series, and several have gone onto post-high school education.

Daycares & Pre-Schools
Ayn Rand School for Tots
Run by "Ms. Sinclair", the sister of a musical director, this daycare is featured in the episode "A Streetcar Named Marge". She runs her school under the strict teachings of Ayn Rand and does not believe in baby bottles, trying to develop "the bottle within". She also does not allow pacifiers, which leads Maggie and her fellow babies to rebel. She also believes that when a baby wants its bottle it doesn't say, as Marge believes, "Ba-Ba" but "I am a leech!"

Elementary Schools
Springfield Elementary School

*Principal: Seymour Skinner
*Superintendent: Superintendent Chalmers
*Teachers: Mrs. Krabappel, Miss Hoover, , , and Coach Krupt.
*Janitorial Staff: Groundskeeper Willie
*Cafeteria Staff: Lunchlady Doris
*PTA Chairman: Ned Flanders

In "" Springfield Elementary was revealed to once be the most dilapidated school in Missouri and was moved to Springfield brick by brick. Springfield has long been an underfunded school with a computer-less computer lab, a less than enthusiastic staff and a group of very uneducated students. On many occasions it has been said that Lisa is the only one keeping the school going. There are several subjects that have been cut, such as Geography (which was proving to be an embarrassment), math, and music, gym and art (due to a lack of funding). The majority of Springfield's adults attended Springfield Elementary in "The President Wore Pearls".

The school is horribly underfunded. For instance, there is a cinder block in place of a tether ball, and it has several grossly incompetent teachers; a camp of gypsies were once shown living on the school's playground as well. Also, only the teachers and the student body president eat french fries made from potatoes. The milk was shown to be from rats provided by Fat Tony.

The school's lack of funding has been the center of several episodes, including "The PTA Disbands", in which the teachers go on strike until more funding is provided and "The President Wore Pearls" in which Lisa leads a student strike to get music, gym and art back.

West Springfield Elementary School
This school has been seen only in the episode "Trilogy of Error". Lisa, in a rush to get to school, hitches a ride with Krusty who accidentally goes to the wrong school. West Springfield Elementary has a French class and is attended by a boy named Thelonious, who Lisa fell in love with. The fact that West Springfield Elementary resembles Springfield Elementary is a parody on how some public school systems build elementary schools that use the exact same blueprints.

Springfield Preparatory School
Encountered by the Simpson family in "The Bart Wants What it Wants", it is attended by the children of many of Springfield's more affluent citizens, including Dr. Hibbert's daughter, Kent Brockman's daughter and Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter Greta.

Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children
Attended by Bart after he cheated on a test in the episode "Bart the Genius," he was admitted to this school, filled with stereotypical nerds and child prodigies. Bart got tricked by the students easily for his food.

Springfield Magnet School for the Gifted and Troublesome
At the end of "The President Wore Pearls", Lisa is sent here by Skinner, intending to stop the strike she started. She discovers a charming French boy who tells her of their large library, but Homer immediately stopped her from going due to not wanting to drive 45 minutes every day.

High Schools
Springfield High
Because there are very few teenage characters in The Simpsons, Springfield High School is most often seen in flashbacks, notably to when Homer and Marge met. Squeaky Voice Teen goes there.

Colleges
Springfield University
Springfield has a large and prestigious college which Homer attended in the episode "Homer Goes to College", the third episode of the fifth series. It teaches several different courses, including nuclear physics, arts management and the meaning of cartoons.

Springfield A&M
The longtime rival of Springfield U, its mascot is a pig named "Sir Oinks-a-lot" who has several powerful friends, including Richard Nixon. The two schools meet in an annual football game. The college is often referred to as a "cow college," as it was literally founded by a cow. Lenny and Carl are both alumni.

Springfield Heights Institute of Technology
Attended by Apu during the 1970s, where he enrolled in Professor Frink's Computer Science class. During Apu's stay they had a least one supercomputer which ran on punch cards.

Springfield Community College
Marge took a painting class here in "Brush with Greatness". Also, Homer briefly taught a class on "Secrets of a Successful Marriage". Other classes taught there include "how to chew tobacco", "orange eating", "funk dancing for self-defence" and "Strip for your wife".

Alma Mater
Several of the characters on the show went to college or University, including:

*Homer Simpson: Springfield University
*Lenny Leonard: Has a Master of Physics from Springfield A&M
*Carl Carlson: Has a Master of Physics from Springfield A&M
*Mr. Burns: Yale, has a seat on the board at Springfield U
*Otto: Brown
*Sideshow Mel: Cornell
*Sideshow Bob: Yale
*Cecil Terwilliger: Princeton
*Lionel Hutz: Harvard, Yale, MIT, Oxford, the Sorbonne, "the Lou-vra"
*Edna Krabappel: Bryn Mawr
*Snake Jailbird: Ball State and Middlebury
*Dr. Hibbert: Johns Hopkins Medical School
*Moe Szyslak: Swigmore University
*Apu Nahasapeemapetilon: Calcutta Technical Institute, Springfield Heights Institute of Technology
*Frank Grimes: Degree in Nuclear Physics in a correspondence course from an unknown school
*Professor Frink: Professor at Springfield Heights Institute of Technology
*Superintendent Chalmers: Ball State
*Kirk Van Houten: Gudger College
*Barney Gumble: Claims to have given a guest lecture (while drunk) at Villanova, or perhaps a street corner. He might have gotten into Harvard had Homer not exposed him to alcohol.
*Ned Flanders: Has a Degree in Pharmacology from Oral Roberts University
*Hans Moleman:Brown
*Selma Bouvier: Springfield University
*Herbert Powell: Harvard
*Dr. Nick: Hollywood Upstairs Medical College
*Eleanor Abernathy: Harvard Medical School, Yale Law School
*Marge Simpson: Springfield University

Harvard and the Ivies
Many of the Simpsons writers attended Harvard, including:
*Al Jean
*Dan McGrath
*John Collier
*Greg Daniels
*Patric Verrone
*Bill Canterbury
*David X. Cohen
*Jon Vitti
*Richard Appel
*Bill Oakley
*David Sacks
*Ken Keeler
*Steve Tompkins
*Conan O'Brien (Also president of the Harvard Lampoon)
*George Meyer
*Max Pross
*Steve Young
*Dan Greaney
*Jeff Martin
*Mike Reiss
*Tom Gammill
*Nell Scovell
*Daniel Chun
*Matt Warburton

Former director Lauren MacMullan is also a Harvard alumnus, and was briefly president of the Harvard Lampoon.

Other Simpsons writers who have attended well-known universities (Ivy League or otherwise) include:

*Josh Weinstein - Stanford University
*Ian Maxtone-Graham - Brown University

Episodes that focus around education
*"Bart the Genius"
*"Lisa's Substitute"
*"Homer Goes to College"
*"The PTA Disbands"
*""
*"The President Wore Pearls"
*"The Monkey Suit"
*"Girls Just Want to Have Sums"
*"Little Girl in the Big Ten"

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See Also

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