Only children from wealthy families went to school.  Poorer families could not afford school and they needed their children home to help with work. Often these children were taught by their parents at home. Some wealthy families hired schoolmasters to teach their children at home.  Schools were one room and held about 12 students in a class.  Often the teachers were Greek slaves.

The students used wax tablets on which they would scratch words and numbers with a pointed stick. The books were rolls of paper called scrolls.  The rolls of paper were attached to a rod.  Each page needed to be unrolled to be read. To write on the paper, students used small reeds.  The ink was made from tar called pitch or from an octopus.  Students went to school until they were eleven.  After that, the girls usually stayed home to help around the house.  The wealthier boys went to a different school where they studied Latin, Greek, grammar, and literature.  Later they studied public speech.  Today, the schools are similar to the schools throughout Europe and also America.  Children study many of the same subjects the world over.

Online Latin lessons for kids: dinolingo.com