In the early 1900s, black education was neglected by the government of North Carolina. The state was segregated by race in every public area, and schools were no exception. Many of the state's elected leaders were avowed white supremacists. White schools received inadequate state funding at the time, but black schools received even less than white schools. Many rural areas were without schooling for black children. 

The Rosenwald Fund was created to improve the educational opportunities for black students across fifteen Southern states. One of the ways that the Rosenwald fund improved black education was through the building of Rosenwald schools. Rosenwald schools were institutions for black students built with funding from Northern philanthropists and funds raised by black communities at the local level. Over 800 Rosenwald schools were built in North Carolina, more than in any other state. By building schools and supporting teachers, the Rosenwald Fund increased educational opportunities for black students and improved education in North Carolina. Notable North Carolina Rosenwald school students include Maya Angelou and Nina Simone. 

The Rosenwald Fund was one of many philanthropic efforts in the South in the early 20th century. Work by Walter Hines Page, Mary Battle, and countless black educators and activists had shown the horrors of Southern poverty to philanthropists. One area of need was education for black children. The Jim Crow system of unequal funding produced inadequate and inequitable schools despite the supposed "separate but equal" doctrine established in the Supreme Court's Plessy v. Ferguson case. Less funding for schools that served black students resulted in low-quality school buildings, few teachers, and crowded classrooms. Schools closed frequently and often lacked resources such as books. Many black families could not transport their children to the few poorly funded schools that did exist before the establishment of Rosenwald schools. 

In 1912, Julius Rosenwald of Chicago was influenced to take action by black activists in the South. Rosenwald was the president of Sears, Roebuck and Co., which was the largest retailer in the United States for many years. Rosenwald gave $25,000 to found the Rosenwald Fund for Education in 1912. He did so with the guidance of black educator Booker T. Washington, who had supported and promoted black education for decades before Rosenwald became involved. Rosenwald provided funds for schools under the condition that local communities would raise an equal amount on their own. Black communities and leaders went through enormous efforts to meet these financial goals. Sometimes, community members contributed labor and materials when they had no cash to give. State education leader Nathan Carter Newbold praised the Rosenwald Fund as a program that, along with government funds and teacher organizations, was "the 'missing link'... needed to round out a complete program for Negro [education]."

In addition to financial support for school building, the Rosenwald fund also provided architectural plans for the schools. The first plans for Rosenwald schools came from the Tuskegee Institute. The architect of the first Rosenwald school plans was Tuskegee Campus Architect Robert Robinson Taylor, a native of North Carolina and the first African American man to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The architectural plans for the Rosenwald schoolhouses were innovative, including ample windows for light and ventilation and other features such as mobile walls. The Rosenwald school architectural plans ranged from one-room schools to school buildings with six or more classrooms and ultimately influenced the architecture of school buildings for all students. 

Rosenwald schools taught academic skills alongside courses in agriculture and industry. Local officials did not see them as challenging the status quo under Jim Crow, but Rosenwald teachers and students knew better. Rosenwald schools taught dignity, self-worth, and practical skills such as masonry, homebuilding, and sewing. Teachers challenged white supremacy by reversing negative stereotypes of inferiority and second-class status. Rosenwald schools also contributed to gains in Black literacy throughout the South. According to Census data, the total illiteracy rate in North Carolina decreased from 30.1% in 1900 to 5.5% in 1950. The number of Southern black students in school increased from approximately 40% to more than 70% during the period of the Rosenwald Fund.

The Rosenwald program ended in 1948 after building over 5,000 school and educational buildings throughout the South. Many Rosenwald Schools closed in the 1950s during the desegregation of county school systems. Of the Rosenwald buildings that survived desegregation, very few former Rosenwald school buildings were still functional by the early 21st century. Only about 10% of Rosenwald school buildings are still standing today.

In recent years, there have been efforts to restore Rosenwald school buildings that are still standing. These restored buildings include the Panther Branch Rosenwald School in Wake County, the Russell School in Durham County, and the Coinjock Colored School in Currituck County. These restored buildings are historical artifacts of black education in the South. Although many of the schools are no longer standing, those that remain serve as a reminder of the hundreds of thousands of black students who received their education in Rosenwald schools.

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