Education for the families was as much a concern to the pioneers as it is to us today. In the fall of 1881, C. P. Bolkan was asked to conduct a school for the children of six or seven families of the early settlers. Classes were conducted for about 15 pupils in the lean of John Qualey's log house in January, February and March 1882. About midsummer in 1882 the first school districts were formed in Griggs County, Dakota Territory, and school was held at Mardell with Ole Serumgard hired as teacher that fall.
The first years the Township was divided into three districts:
Waziya, Greendale and Nelson. By 1899 all three districts were joined into Washburn School District. According to early records, the Bridge School and the Ayrea School started classes in 1897 and continued on in the same locations through the years. The schoolhouse located in the NE part of the Township was situated on the riverbank in NW quarter of Section 12 and thereby went by the name River Bank School. This school burned to the ground in February 1918. The teacher and students finished out the term by holding classes in the log house located on the Opheim farm. The Oak Grove School was built in SW quarter of Section 12 the summer of 1918 and was ready for classes in the fall.
In the fall of 1958, the residents of Washburn Township decided to close their schools and send all pupils by bus to Cooperstown Special School District. This proved satisfactory and in 1960 the school districts were reorganized around Cooperstown and Washburn, together with other districts, joined the Cooperstown Special School District.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 472