Twenty years ago, all-girls schools seemed headed for extinction, a minor footnote in the story of American education. Today, they are experiencing a dramatic revival. In "Where Girls Come First," Ilana DeBare interweaves the first complete history of girls' schools in America with her own personal story of cofounding an all-girls school in Oakland, California, in 1999. A chronicle of daily life at girls' schools over the past two hundred years, DeBare's book also illuminates the strong convictions of parents and educators that have fueled the rise of new all-girls schools throughout the country. It is an important contribution to the current debate on single-sex education in America.