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Education for most upper-class Roman children varied greatly. Some were taught at home by a private tutor or a slave. Some were sent to private school. For those who could not afford private school or a private tutor at home, there were public schools in the cities. Most children of a lower-class background, especially country workers, the poor, and slaves, usually did not learn to read or write or have the opportunity to go to school.

A Roman school often had only one teacher and one room, with a curtain as a door. Teachers were overworked and underpaid, putting in long hours for very little reward. Most manual labourers received the same amount of money. Teachers were only paid 15 denarii a month (180 denarii a year). Most Romans needed 250 denarii a year to support a family.

The first thing Roman children had to learn was how to read and write. The written word was all around them in public buildings. Even at home, children were surrounded by writing in the form of calendars, letters, laws, regulations for shrines, and funeral epitaphs. Many families kept personal and financial records and operated businesses, meaning education was important.

In school, the basic education for a boy would include law, honorability, and physical training. This was to prepare him for the role he would play in society and in the army. If a free Roman were taught basic arithmetic, it rarely went beyond addition and subtraction. The Roman numbering system was very difficult; one had to use an abacus to do most maths.

Education for Roman girls was limited to those of the upper class. They went to elementary schools to learn reading and writing but were not allowed to pursue higher studies with philosophers, mathematicians, or public speakers.

Roman children were taught to imitate their teachers. Learning was a matter of imitation and repetition. After the children learned the alphabet, they would learn to read by repeating aloud and by tracing the words in a text.

Discipline in Roman times was quite different from that of today. If a male student answered a question incorrectly, the teacher might beat him with a cane. If he did something wrong or spoke without permission, he could receive a flogging in front of the class to set an example. In the public schools it was common for teachers to use a whip against his students.

A child could achieve nothing until learning proper social gestures and behavior. As soon as a child's education was complete, he or she could assume the proper role in society.