This essay offers a review of the ways that North American historians have approached the history of epidemics in education to date and it identifies a few key historiographical trends and research questions raised by American and Canadian work. The history of epidemics in education is located at the intersection of three vibrant fields of study: the history of science and medicine, the history of education, and the history of disability. The essay explores how, in the context of North American scholarship, the history of education and epidemics emerges out of broader discussions from those fields. Recent historical studies of pandemics, raised after the outbreak of COVID-19, are also used to introduce the topic.