Today the town's only school closes after 122 years of teaching generations of children within its thick sandstone walls.

It has left many people in the community devastated, including John Dowling, who attended the school and sent his own children there.

``It breaks my heart to see this. To take the school out of the town is to take the heart out of the town,'' Mr Dowling said.

The school, which opened in 1877, has only eight pupils (one was absent yesterday) and the Education Department says it is no longer viable.

Locals believe there have been up to 70 pupils enrolled at the school in the past, and just before Christmas there were 24 pupils attending Ross Primary.

After today, the remaining eight pupils will either catch a bus to Campbell Town District High School or be educated at home.

There is still a feeling among some residents that more could have been done to save the school.

Among them is Ross's oldest resident, Mrs G.W. Keach, 92.

``I'm speaking about loyalty to Ross. I think loyalty is so very important and this has split the community open. This is the only time I've ever known Ross not to come together on a major issue,'' Mrs Keach said.

``I really believe a lot of residents of Ross could have helped save the school. We're terribly proud of it, you know. I'm not angry but I'm sad, terribly sad. It's certainly a black day for us.''

Education Department Esk district superintendent Elizabeth Daly met some parents and community members yesterday to discuss a future use for the school grounds.

Mrs Daly said the department usually considered closing a school when enrolments slipped below 30, unless it was in an isolated area. She said that an enrolment of 24 pupils meant that fewer than two teachers could be employed at the school, which was not adequate.

Mr Dowling said that parents were told late last year that the school could be closed or annexed to Campbell Town.

He claimed that outside of parents, the local community was not made a part of the negotiations.

Mr Dowling said after a delegation visited Education Minister Paula Wriedt, he believed the school was promised that two teachers would be employed.

But Mr Dowling said before the start of the new school year, the second teacher was transferred to Campbell Town and enrolments for the new year fell, because none of the parents wanted just one teacher at the school.

``This school should never have been closed. We had two teachers, we would have made the numbers,'' he said.

Mrs Daly said that the school was never promised two teachers because staffing was based on enrolments and 24 pupils were not enough to employ two teachers. Meanwhile, the children of Ross Primary are preparing to pack up their books for one last time.

``I feel very sad,'' Abbey Powell, 7, said. ``I don't want it to close, I like the school.''

The oldest pupil at the school, 11-year-old Edward Dowling, is going to miss Ross Primary.

``There's not a heap of traffic or noise or pollution and the people are more close in it,'' Edward said.