1

City or Town.

TABLE 19.—Statistics of Teachers, Enrolment, and Attendance in Evening Schools— Continued.

TABLE 19.-Statistics of Teachers, Enrolment, and Attendance in Evening SchoolsContinued.

TABLE 19.-Statistics of Teachers, Enrolment, and Attendance in Evening

Schools

Total.

Ratio of Average

Attendance to
Enrolment.

10

49

2318203950

5

74

44

118

(55)

55

46.6

100

1

46

11

199

2

60

59

9

1,938

127

(38)

CHAPTER VIII.

STATISTICS OF CITY SCHOOL SYSTEMS.

Remarks Relating to School Statistics of Cities-Names of City Superintendents-Statisties of Popula tion and School Enrolment and Attendance (Table 20)-Statistics of Teachers, Accommodations, and Salaries (Table 21)-Statistics of School Property and Receipts (Table 22)-Statistics of Expenditures (Table 23)-Statistics of Public High Schools (Table 24)-List of Cities and Towns from which no Statistics have been Received-Remarks Relating to the General Comparative Statistics-Comparative Statistics of Enrolment, Attendance, Teachers, and Sittings (Table 25)—Summary of Same by States, Geographical Divisions, and Classes according to Population (Table 26)—Remarks Relating to the Comparative Statistics of Property, etc.-Comparative Statistics of Property, Expenses for Tuition, and Receipts from Local Taxes (Table 27)-Summary of Same by States, Geographical Divisions, and Classes according to Population (Table 28).

SCHOOL STATISTICS.

Great improvement in the statistical portions of the reports of superintendents is apparent each year. But many incongruities must be remedied and a much nearer approach must be made to general uniformity before perfection in this regard will be attained. There is no lack of interest in the matter, for a desire is manifest on the part of every superintendent to make his statistics as complete and accurate as possible. The truth is that the frequent discussion of the subject has not yet led to a general agreement as to what items should be reported, or to a full understanding as to how deductions should be correctly made.

As the facts elicited by the statistical forms of inquiry of this Bureau are those which have been settled upon by eminent educationists as being of prime importance, and are thought to be easily obtainable in any city, the following explanations are given of their significance and the methods of determining each, in the hope that a better understanding of the subject and greater uniformity may be secured. Reference to Tables 20 to 24 will show the application to the statistical tables of the facts obtained by the inquiries mentioned. The items are taken up in the order in which they occur in the tables.

Total population of the city or town.-Though the school population is the true basis for all school computations and comparisons, it is often convenient to use the total population to show with what other cities a comparison of the statistics of any city may be equitably made. In other than census years it is seldom that the exact total population can be given, and the figures in this column are generally estimates. They should not be used, therefore, in any precise calculations.

Population between the ages four and twenty-one.-These ages are the limits within which school attendance ordinarily lies. As it includes all who could under any but extraordinary circumstances be expected to apply for admission to the schools, the item has its value, though it lacks some of the elements of importance possessed by the next item. It is not usual that children are sent to school before they are at least five years old, and the school life of the vast majority of persons terminates long before they reach the age of twenty-one. But it was recommended by the National Council of Education in 1885, and it is generally conceded, that the legal (permissible) school age be from four to twenty-one; and considerable value attaches to the number of persons entitled to admission, in the opinion of educational experts, if not according to the laws of all the States. It was also recommended that four to twenty-one be the census age as well, and that the age of each child enumerated be noted, in order that the number of children between any ages could be easily ascertained. This suggestion has produced no tangible result, for it is not yet possible to secure the actual population between four and twenty-one, except in the cities for which that was already the census age.

In order to obtain the desired figures, however, recourse has been had to a method described in a previous report. Briefly stated, the method consists in estimating the popu

1 See Education Report 1885-86, p. 23.

lation four to twenty-one upon the basis of the given population of the State census age, and in doing this, the ratio to each other of the two quantities as shown by previous National and State censuses is considered. The actual population four to twenty-one in the few instances in which it has been ascertained has coincided almost exactly with the estimates made in this Office, thus proving the latter to be at least near enough correct for purposes of comparison.

Population between the ages six and fourteen.—These ages were decided by the National Council of Education to be the proper limits for compulsory education. As a uniform basis is necessary in comparing cities of different States, it is believed that this is as satisfactory a basis as could be established. It is certainly a more equitable one than the -population four to twenty-one, for it is between six and fourteen that the vast majority of children attend school; the course in the elementary schools, which all but a small proportion of the whole number attend, is usually designed to cover that period. The population six to fourteen is obtained in the same manner as that described in the preceding paragraph.

Number of children of school census age.-For cities in the same States or in different States with similar school ages this item furnishes a fair basis of comparison, but its use under other circumstances should be avoided. The figures, unless marked "estimated," are supposed to be obtained by actual count.

Enrolment in private and parochial schools.-In very few cities or towns are the public schools patronized to the exclusion of all others. The extent of the work done by private schools is well shown by the comparative table (Table 25). These schools should be considered in determining the educational conditions of any community, and it is unfortunate that accurate statistics concerning them can seldom be obtained. No attempt is made to secure anything more than their enrolment, and even that is almost invariably estimated.

It is not intended that the number given under this head should include the students in colleges, normal schools, or other institutions of a grade higher than the average high school.

Total enrolment in public schools.-There seems to be no reason for disagreement with respect to this item. To know the full extent of the influence exerted by a system of schools the number of all those benefited by them in any degree should be recorded. The total enrolment includes all children in attendance during the year without regard to the time of their continuance in school.

Duplicate enrolments caused by promotions, transfers, or re-entry in the same year after temporary absence, must not, of course, be included. As evening schools labor under entirely different conditions, and are usually maintained for those beyond the school age, their statistics should in all cases be kept separate from that of day schools. The "average monthly enrolment," " average number belonging," "number belonging at the end of the year," etc., are frequently used in statistical statements, and would be of undoubted value in the national statistics if it were possible to realize the ideal condition of uniformity. As yet their use is impracticable.

Average daily attendance.-The significance of this item is well known. It is among the most important of the facts desired by the student of school statistics. The "average daily attendance" is the average of the attendance for all the days in the year. This seems quite simple to one unacquainted with the variety of methods used in arriving at that average, but a great many superintendents have not yet adopted the following, which is the usual and probably the best method:

The attendance for one day may be expressed as a mixed number if necessary; for instance, if thirty pupils are present all day, three for one-half day each, and three for onequarter day each, the attendance for that day may be correctly expressed by 30+11+ 32. In this suppositional case the attendance for the day would be equivalent to the attendance of one pupil for 32 days, or to that of thirty-two and one-quarter pupils for one day; it is not, therefore, improper to allude to attendance in terms of "days," as well as in terms of "pupils."

The "total attendance in days (or pupils)" of any school for the year would be the sum of the attendances for all the days. The "total attendance in days (or pupils)" for a system of schools, then, is simply the sum of the like quantities for all the schools, and the "average daily attendance" is the quotient obtained by dividing this "total attendance" by the number of days the schools were required to be actually in session. The rule here given does not in any way conflict with that in use by State superintendents, who obtain the average daily attendance for an entire State by adding the average daily attendances of all the units of school organization, whether they be cities, districts, or counties. It should be remembered that the city is a unit of organization and in all statistical matters it must be treated as such. The frequent changing of residences with the consequent transfers of pupils from school to school, and the practice of opening new schools in the midst of the school year make it impossible to secure strict accuracy of statistics if each school be considered separately.