E.—l

II

Boards' Inspectors of Schools (E.-1b), and papers relating to proposed changes in some of the regulations made under the Education Act (E.-lc), and to technical education (E.-1d), are also printed in separate papers. The annual reports of the several Education Boards, and the reports of the School Commissioners on their administration of the education reserves vested in them, are printed in the Appendix to this report. School Attendance. The Appendix to this report contains a list (pages 51-64, Table No. 12) of all the public schools in operation within the several education districts during the past year, together with an abstract of the enrolments and the average daily attendance at each school. The following table supplies the more important particulars of the year's attendance in each education district: —

TABLE A—School Attendance.

The following table shows the total number belonging to all the schools, the average daily attendance, and the increase in each year since 1877 :—

TABLE A2.—School Attendance and Yearly Increase for Seven Years.

The preceding tables show that the annual increase in the number of children attending the public schools was much greater in 1884 than in any former year since 1880. The increase in the average daily attendance in 1881 was only 1,501; the corresponding increase in 1884 reached 5,548.

On School Eolls. Average Daily Attendance. Year's Average Attendance as Percentage of Mean of the Roll Numbers for the Four Quarters. Strict Average. Working Average. Education Districts. Number of Scholars belonging at Beginning of Year. Number admitted during the Year. Number who left during the Year Number belonging at End of Year. S3 ti If si Q CD Fourth Quarter. Whole Year. Males. Females Total. 1884. 1883. Auckland .. Paranaki iVanganui .. .. Wellington .. Hawke's Bay tfarlborough kelson Sforth Canterbury .. 3outh Canterbury.. iVestland .. Jtago Southland .. 15,365 1,514 5,103 6,168 3,480 1,424 4,117 16,506 3,752 2,932 18,978 5,544 11,537 1,623 2,756 4,546 2,289 669 2,303 8,765 1,897 893 9,149 2,888 8,513 1,024 2,232 3,319 1,659 600 1,612 6,939 1,582 720 6,713 2,047 18,389 2,113 5,627 7,395 4,110 1,493 4,808 18,332 4,067 3,105 21,414 6,385 14,353 1,447 4,142 5,413 3,159 1,063 3,542 13,626 3,112 2,318 17,742 4,733 14,000 1,399 4,127 5,454 3,076 1,091 3,479 13,127 3,003 2,209 17,296 4,336 7,696 831 2,251 3,039 1,756 595 1,863 7,516 1,689 1,195 9,376 2,578 6,990 717 2,027 2,639 1,525 511 1,778 6,094 1,531 1,178 8,539 2,318 14,686 1,548 4,278 5,678 3,281 1,106 3,641 14,210 3,220 2,373 17,915 4,896 14,446 1,536 4,262 5,651 3,217 1,136 3,598 13,929 3,122 2,340 17,551 4,603 78-1 73-0 75-7 76'6 78-9 75-2 75-8 76-4 77-0 76-2 82-2 74-4 77'6 70-4 75-2 76-8 77-2 73-7 73-0 73-0 75'0 70-9 81-3 75-7 Fotals for 1884 rotals for 1883 84,883 79,416 49,315 47,854 36,960 34,794 97,238 92,470 74,650 70,077 72,657 67,373 40,385 37,890 36,447 34,324 76,832 72,214 75,391 69,843 77-9 76'7 76-7 'norcaso in year .. 5,467 1,461 2,166 4,762 4,573 5,284 2,495 2,123 4,61i 5,548 1-2 totals for 1877 55,688 41,773 40,837 Increase in 7 years 41,550 35,059 34,554 Average yearly increase 5,936 5,008 4,936

School Attendance. Yearly Increase on Average Attendance. Averago Attendance. Yeab. Number belonging at Beginning of Year. Number belonging at End of Year. Strict Average. Working Average. belonging at Beginning of Year. belonging at End of Year. Strict Average. Working Average Fourth Whole Fourth Whole Quarter. Year. Quarter. Year. Fourth Whole Quarter. Year. Fourth Whole Quarter. Year. 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 50,849 59,707 68,124 74,359 76,309 79,416 84,883 55,688 65,040 75,566 82,401 83,560 87,179 92,476 97,238 49,435 57,301 62,946 63,009 66,426 70,077 74,650 45,521 53,067 60,625 61,822 63,709 67,373 72,657 41,773 50,639 58,738 64,407 64,744 68,288 72,214 76,832 40,837 47,996 54,724 62,234 63,735 66,145 69,843 75,391 8,858 8,417 6,235 1,950 3,107 5,467 9,352 10,526 6,835 1,159 3,619 5,207 4,762 7.86G 5,645 63 3,417 3,651 4,573 7,546 7,558 1,197 1,887 3,664 5,284 8,866 8,099 5,669 337 3,544 3,926 4,618 7,159 6,728 7,510 1,501 2,410 3,698 5,548