From 1840 to 1844 he studied Catholic theology in Salzburg, receiving his doctorate of philosophy several years later (1850) in Freiburg im Breisgau.
In 1856 he became a lecturer at the University of Erlangen, where he subsequently became an associate professor of philosophy and pedagogy.
In 1871 at Erlangen he introduced the Verein für Volkserziehung, which was essentially a child care center aimed at providing education and supervision for young boys.
Success of the project eventually led to similar institutions being set up in other Bavarian cities; Augsburg (1878), Munich (1881), Fürth (1883) and Bamberg (1884).
Schmid was the author of numerous works on religious philosophy and education; some of his better known publications are as follows: