Freeman Junior College and its earlier school

Freeman’s school began as South Dakota Mennonite College, chartered on December 14, 1900, and opened for instruction in autumn 1903. Mennonite settlers sought biblical education, preservation of German, and preparation for local teachers. Frederick C. Ortman helped promote the project after observing Bethel College’s influence in Kansas. The early school taught largely elementary and secondary subjects, so the chart’s 1903 marker should not be read as the immediate opening of a modern junior college.

Teacher training gained state recognition in 1911, the academy became accredited in 1922, and college instruction began in 1923. The school became Freeman College and, in 1939, Freeman Junior College. The junior college closed in May 1986, while Freeman Academy continued separately. In February 2026 the corporation announced that academy school operations would end after the 2025–2026 year. These distinct stages preserve both the college’s contribution and the longer history of its associated school.