E.—l.

fifteen. They are below 482 per cent, in the preparatory and First-Standard classes; in the Third-Standard class they are nearly equal in number to the boys (as 49"61 to 50*39); and in the class above the Sixth Standard they are to the boys as 5187 to 4813. They are between 48 and 49 per cent, at all ages except between 5 and 6, between 9 and 10, between 12 and 13, in all which cases they fall below 48 per cent.; but among the pupils above the age of 15 they are 50*29 per cent. The figures contained in Table E differ but little from the corresponding figures of the preceding year. They show that the average age of the pupils at the time of their passing the First Standard is about nine, and that at the time of their passing the Sixth Standard their age is about fourteen, the intermediate ages from ten to thirteen corresponding very nearly to the passing of the intermediate standards from the Second to the Fifth.

TABLE E. —Average Age of Pupils at Standard Examinations in 1895.

As shown in Table F, the total of the numbers of the children on the rolls at the time of the examinations of their several schools was 127,962. There were 39,823 (31 "1 per cent.) in classes below the First Standard class, and 2,006 (I*6 per cent.) who had previously passed the Sixth Standard; 83,230 (65 per cent.) were present in the standard classes at examination time, and 2,903 (2*3 per cent.) were absent from those classes; of the pupils (83,230) present in the standard classes, 70,287 passed and 12,943 failed. The number of passes (70,287) is 54*93 of the number (127,962) on the rolls, and 8445 per cent, of the number (83,230) of the examined; these percentages are the highest yet recorded.

TABLE F.—Inspection Statistics.

IV

Education Districts. Avei rage Ages 'or Standi trds. Mean if Ages. LUckland .aranaki Vanganui Vellington lawke's Bay larlborough felson key Vestland Torth Canterbury louth Canterbury ) tago Southland .. .. I. Yrs. mos. 9 1 9 5 9 4 8 9 8 11 9 0 8 10 8 10 8 6 8 8 8 9 8 10 8 9 II. Yrs. mos. 10 3 10 9 10 5 9 10 10 0 10 7 9 7 10 2 9 0 9 9 9 9 9 11 9 7 III. Yrs. mos. 11 5 11 10 11 10 10 11 11 0 11 3 11 1 11 2 10 6 10 11 11 0 11 1 11 5 IV. Yrs. mos. 12 6 12 11 12 9 11 11 12 4 12 4 11 3 12 6 12 3 12 1 12 1 12 3 12 3 V. Yrs. mos. 13 5 13 10 13 8 12 11 13 1 13 2 13 2 13 5 13 5 13 1 13 1 13 2 13 3 VI. Yrs. mos. 14 4 14 4 14 2 13 9 14 0 14 2 13 10 14 6 14 1 13 10 13 11 14 1 13 11 1895. Yrs. mos. 11 10 12 2 12 0 11 4 11 7 11 9 11 3 11 9 11 4 11 5 11 5 11 7 11 6 1894. Yrs. mos. 12 0 12 2 12 0 11 1 11 7 11 1 11 4 11 5 11 7 11 5 11 5 11 6 11 7 Mean Range (difference between highest and lowest) 8 11 10 0 11 2 12 3 13 3 14 1 11 7 11 7 0 11 1 9 1 4 1 8 0 11 0 9 0 11 1 1 Mean in 1894 Range in 1894 .. .. 8 10 1 6 10 1 0 2 11 1 3 4 12 1 3 3 13 1 3 1 14 1 1 6 11 1 7 1

Education Districts. Rolls on Days of Inspection. Preparatory Classes. Pupils above Sixth Standard. Present in Standard Classes. Passed. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland 25,884 3,714 9,503 13,236 7,086 2,169 6,033 1,684 1,562 21,227 5,223 21,158 9,483 8,392 1,374 3,067 4,107 2,623 599 1,669 604 485 5,905 1,587 6,581 2,830 221 12 55 344 30 48 147 33 57 256 93 555 155 16,555 2,198 6,010 8,592 4,336 1,460 4,069 1,007 990 14,612 3,439 13,728 6,234 14,184 1,453 4,745 7,185 3,456 1,288 3,239 829 843 12,373 2,959 12,554 5,179 For the colony.. 127,962 39,823 2,006 83,230 70,287 In 1894 . .. 126,532 40,318 2,004 81,089 65,707