ment. If there is one public office whose precincts should be sacred from the intrusion of sectarian or partisan prejudice growing out of the political struggles which convulse the country, it is the Office of Education. I also beg to acknowledge my indebtedness to the employés and clerical corps of the Office, who have so intelligently performed their duties. To the Chief Clerk, Chiefs of Divisions, and all others in the Office, I renew my thanks for their hearty aid and respectful kindness and consideration; and to you I beg to return my thanks for the interest you have manifested in the work of education during your adminis tration, and for the uniform courtesy shown me personally and officially. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. W. F. VILAS, Secretary of the Interior. Commissioner. TO THE MEMORY OF CHARLES WARREN. While this volume was going through the press occurred the death of Dr. Charles Warren, the Statistician of this Office, on the 9th of September, 1889. Dr. Warren was appointed Chief Clerk of the Bureau of Education by General John Eaton, when the latter became Commissioner in 1870. In 1881 he was transferred to the position of "Statistician" of the Bureau, which he continued to hold to the day of his death. A lover of books, and of more than ordinary culture, he was able to be of great service, not only in directing the routine duties of the Office, but in suggestions relating to its publications, and in the occasional preparation of circulars of information. His geniality of disposition, equable temper, and kindliness of heart secured for him the attachment of his associates, and the esteem in which he was held by them will cause his death to be felt as a personal affliction. As a mark of respect to his memory the Bureau of Education was closed on the afternoon of his funeral, by the order of the Secretary of the Interior. CHAPTER III. STATE COMMON SCHOOL STATISTICS. Preliminary Remarks - Population Statistics (Table 1) - School Age and School Census (Table 2) — En rolment (Table 3) - Average Daily Attendance (Table 4) -- Total Attendance; Length of School Term (Table 5) - Number of School Buildings; Seating Capacity (Table 6)-High Schools (Table 7) - Pri vate Schools (Table 8) - Teachers (Table 9) - Salaries of Teachers (Table 10) - School Revenues (Table 11)-School Revenues Redused to a Per Capita Basis (Table 12) - Percentage Classification of School Revenue (Table 13)— School Expenditures (Table 14) — School Expenditures Reduced to a Per Capita Basis (Table 15) - Percentage Classification of School Expenditures (Table 16) — Permanent School Funds, Total Assessed Valuation, and Valuation of School Property (Table 17) - Chief State School Officers (Table 18). PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Statistical returns in whole or part for the year 1887-88 were received in time for insertion in this Report from thirty-seven States and Territories, including Georgia and Louisiana, whose returns for the calendar year 1887 are given. Nine States and Territories are represented by returns for 1886-87, one (Delaware) by a return for 1885-86, while for New Mexico the census of 1880 still furnishes the latest complete statistics that can be obtained. The summaries for the United States and its different geographical divisions, therefore, are not for any particular date, must be considered as furnishing the latest aggregates available of enrolment, expenditure, etc. In regard to the reliance to be placed upon the tables of State school systems much remains to be desired. Some of the causes tending to impair their trustworthiness were set forth in the last Report of this Office. No considerable improvement has been made in this respect. There is, in general, the same want of uniformity in methods, and in several cases the returns contain internal evidence of being highly incorrect. Of course these causes affect the value of the summaries and averages made. Moreover, it is apparent that no aggregate of enrolment, attendance, or expenditure can be made for the United States without a return from every State. In no case, however, is it, or has it ever been, possible to make such an aggregate from actual returns. Estimates on the best basis practicable have to be made to fill out the blanks in the most important columns. It is believed that the errors resulting from these estimates are considerably less than those due to the causes mentioned in the preceding paragraph. On account of these considerations the results obtained by the Bureau must be considered as mere approximations. Still by a carefu study of them much valuable information may be obtained, and many conclusions drawn that are unmistakable. Tho lines along which the greatest development is taking place are plainly indicated. POPULATION STATISTICS-HOW COMPUTED. The mode of computing the statistics of population given in this table was fully set forth in a previous Report (1885-86, pp. 22-3). The United States census of 1880 is taken as a basis; the rate of increase from 1880 in each State is assumed to be the same as the rate of increase of the school population as determined by the school census, where one is taken, which is now the case in all but eight of the States and Territories. Where the enumeration of the school population is correctly made each year or at stated periods, the total population, or the population of any specified ages, can be computed for any given date with sufficient accuracy for all practical purposes. Where there is no school census the rate of growth from 1870 to 1880, or from 1860 to 1880, is assumed to be continued on into the present decade. Of course such an assumption may not be warranted by the facts, and may lead considerably astray. But it has been deemed the best one for the purpose, and in any case it is better to use the popula tion so computed than to use at this late date the old figures of 1880. State or Territory. TABLE 1.—End of School Year; Total Population, and proportion thereof to area; Population 6 to 14 and proportion thereof to total population; mainly for 1887. North Atlantic Division: Maine. New Hampshire... Massachusetts Rhode Island.. Connecticut.... SCHOOL AGE AND SCHOOL CENSUS. There has been no change in the school age of any of the States or Territories during the year for which the returns are tabulated. Thirty-seven States and Territories show an average increase of 2.20 per cent. in the school population. This is probably less than it should be. Ohio, Indiana, and Oregon all report a decrease of school population, when there is every reason to suppose that in such rapidly growing States there has actually been an increase. State Superintendent McElroy, of Oregon, attributes the apparent decrease in that State to the effect of a new law, under which duplicate enumerations are avoided, and therefore a more correct census is taken. TABLE 2.-Legal School Ages for various purposes, and School Censuses, mainly for 1887-88, compared with those for the preceding year. State or Territory. 2 TABLE 2.-Legal School Ages for various purposes, and School Censuses, mainly for 1887-88, compared with those for the preceding year-Continued. ♡ For Compulsory At- For Distribution of Between What Ages a Number Enumerated. a These statistics are for 1886-87. b No school census. e Excluding the county of San Francisco. d It is estimated that there are 12,000 persons under twenty-one years of age. I....... e .98 I....... € 2.14 J.........1.59 I....... e 4.01 I....... € 6.82 I....... e 2. 20 e Only those States for which the increase or decrease is tabulated enter into this summary. ENROLMENT. The total number of pupils enrolled is reported at 11,952,204, and the annual increase 234,776, showing a growth of two per cent. per annum. Here, also, as in the case of school population, there are probably some deficient reports; Indiana and Iowa both show a heavy decrease, 6.92 per cent. in the former case and 2.27 in the latter. On the other hand, in some States, as in Minnesota and Nebraska, there appears to be an abnormal increase. Still, after taking all these circumstances into consideration, there seems no reason to doubt that the relative increase of school population and enrolment for the United States (2.20 and 2 per cent. respectively) is substantially as given in the tables, i. c., that the school enrolment is not increasing as fast as the school population; this is apparent again from the footing of Column 5, where it is seen that 20.10 per cent. of the total population are enrolled in the public schools, as against 20.38 per cent. given in the Report of this Office for 1886-87.* It will be instructive to compare these conclusions with the results deduced from the tables given on pp. 90-92 of the Report just referred to. It was there shown that during the ten-year period ending with 1887 there had been a decrease in the population of children enrolled in the public schools in all except the South Atlantic and South Central Divisions. It would seem now that the growth of the public school system in the Southern States has nearly attained its maximum, after having reached a point in its development considerably below that occupied by the Northern States, as will appear from the summaries of Column 6 of the following table. The statistics of one year, however, can པ Increase or Decrease |