Stephen's formal education was the responsibility of his sister Agnes for the first seven years of his life. He spent much time studying science and literature. He didn't attend school until he was eight years old; however, when he did, he did two years' worth of schoolwork in just six weeks.
Stephen's formal education continued at schools in Port Jervis, New York, and in Asbury Park, New Jersey. While attending school in Asbury Park, Stephen developed into a very good baseball player and writer, and he enjoyed making up words and writing essays. When he was sixteen, he wrote articles with the help of his brother, and he collected information for his mother, who wrote journals for the Methodist Church.
At seventeen, Crane's mother sent him to Claverack College, a military school. Stephen enjoyed his time at Claverack, and the military discipline at the college had no effect on him. Crane didn't complete his studies at Claverack; instead he transferred to Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. However, at Lafayette, he ultimately flunked out. Finally, Crane enrolled at Syracuse University, but there were far too many distractions at school and in town for him to concentrate on his studies, so in 1891, at the age of twenty, he left the university without completing a degree.
