E.—l.

TABLE A.—School Attendance and Yearly Increase from 1877 to 1896.

The average number of pupils on the rolls of the schools in 1896, taking one week with another, was 132,725. The strict average attendance for the year was 108,976, which number is to 132,725 as 82-1 is to 100 ; so that 82-1 per cent, represents the degree of regularity of the attendance of the enrolled pupils, and this means that on the average more than one-sixth of them are absent. It is satisfactory to notice that in this respect there is a tendency in the right direction, the percentage for 1877 being only 738, while the percentage for 1896 is 82 # 1, the highest yet attained. Table B shows that the attendance is much more regular in some districts than in others, the percentages ranging from 776 to 86-5.

TABLE B.—School Attendance for 1896.

There are four districts in which the " strict average " for the whole year was rather lower in 1896 than in 1895, the differences for the several districts being as follows: Marlborough, 3; Grey, 23; North Canterbury, 8; Otago, 105.

II

School Attendance. Yearly Increase on Year. So sir .off) T3 a H pi 5'Si's o 1 Average Attendance. Fourth Whole Quarter. Year. llfl 3-8 a i>1 o •a a H o Average Attendance. Fourth Whole Quarter. Year. 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 50,849 59,707 68,124 74,359 76,309 79,416 84,883 90,670 95,377 99,206 103,534 104,919 108,158 110,665 112,279 114,305 116,819 119,900 122,425 55,688 65,040 75,566 82,401 83,560 87,179 92,476 97,238 102,407 106,328 110,919 112,085 115,456 117,912 119,523 122,620 124,686 127,300 129,856 131,037 49,435 57,301 C2,946 63,009 66,426 70,077 74,650 80,183 83,361 87,386 90,849 94,308 96,670 96,264 100,917 99,872 106,151 107,222 109,233 45,521 53,067 60,625 61,822 63,709 67,373 72,657 78,327 80,737 85,637 90,108 93,374 94,632 97,058 99,070 98,615 103,490 j 106,622 I 108,976 73-8 74-6 74-2 73-6 74-0 75-1 76-6 76-1 77-0 79-3 80-3 79-9 80-3 80-6 78-5 80-6 81-4 82-1 8,858 8,417 6,235 1,950 3,107 5,467 5,787 4,707 3,829 4,328 1,385 3,239 2,507 1,614 2,026 2,514 3,081 2,525 9,352 ! 10,526 7,866 6,835 5,645 1,159 63 3,619 3,417 5,297 3,651 4,762 4,573 5,169 i 5,533 3,921 i 3,178 4,591 4,025 1,766 3,463 2,771 ■ 3,459 2,456 2,362 1,611 ! [-406] 3,097 i 4,653 2,066 [-1,045] 2,614 6,279 2,556 1,071 1,181 2,031 7,546 7,558 1,197 1,887 3,664 5,284 5,670 2,410 4,900 4,471 3,266 1,258 2,426 2,012 [-455] 4,875 3,132 2,354

Eoll-numbers. slilfii Education Districts. Average Daily Attendi mce. Pupils at Beginning of Year. Admitted during the Year. Left during the Year. Pupils belonging at End Fourth Quarter. Year. Boys. Girls. Total. Whole Year. 1896. 1895. Auckland Taranaki 23,908 3,588 9,096 12,101 6,914 2,130 5,574 1,649 1,493 20,399 5,093 21,421 9,059 11,741 1,473 4,168 6,434 3,299 642 2,068 407 381 6,879 1,524 6,468 3,245 9,042 1,234 3,337 4,994 2,830 589 1,638 383 333 5,978 1,295 5,798 2,666 26,607 3,827 9,927 13,541 7,383 2,183 6,004 1,673 1,541 21,300 5,322 22,091 9,638 11,363 1,565 4,083 5,804 3,310 907 2,551 686 676 9,308 2,402 10,074 4,097 10,623 1,414 3,859 5,293 2,941 885 2,322 731 675 8,519 2,257 9,190 3,718 21,986 2,979 7,942: ll,097| 6,251 1,792 ; 4,873 l,417i 1,351! 17,827' 4,659! 19,264 7,815! 21,835! 3,012 8,053 10.968J 6,256 1,802' 4,906 1,377 1,353 17,503 4,558 19,502 7,851 81-7 77-6 79-5 80-3 83-3 80-8 80-5 80-9 86-5 81-1 84-7 86-5 80-7 81'0 75-8 76-8 81-1 81-5 82-0 79-4 81-5 84'6 81-2 84'3 85-9 79'0 Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland Totals for 1896 Totals for 1895 122,425 119,900 48,729 48,344 40,117 38,388 181,087 1129,856 |5G,826 ! 55,9e8 52,427 51,254 109,253| 107.222 1 1108,976 106,622 82-1 81-4 81'4 Increase in year 2,525 385 1,729 1,181 858 1,173 2,031 2,354 0-7