Consolidated schools, such as the Spencer-Penn School in Henry County, fulfilled important roles in the educational and civic life of rural communities in Virginia for generations of students and their families. Accounts of student and community life at Spencer-Penn testify to its educational and social significance to the Spencer community. The school grounds and school, a solid brick Colonial Revival building constructed in 1926–27, were used for myriad social functions, community activities, and athletic events. The school and its ancillary buildings, including a mid-1930s home economics cottage and frame auxiliary classroom, are the only surviving pre-World War II non-domestic structures in Spencer. The Spencer-Penn School complex is significant for the high quality of its construction and design, which exemplifies public school architecture in Virginia during the post-World War I period.