E.—l.

TABLE A.—School Attendance and Yearly Increase from 1877 to 1897.

The average number of pupils on the rolls of the schools in 1897, taking one week with another, was 133,961, and the strict average attendance for the year was 110,993, so that 82 - 9 per cent, represents the degree of the regularity of attendance. On reference to the sixth column of Table Ait will be seen that this is the highest degree of regularity which has yet been attained. Table B shows that in five districts—Hawke's Bay, Westland, North Canterbury, South Canterbury, and Otago—the degree of regularity is above the average.

TABLE B. —School Attendance for 1897.

There are only three districts in which there is a decline in the attendance both for the fourth quarter of 1897 and for the whole of the year —viz., Nelson, Westland, and Otago. The Maori children included in the foregoing enumerations of attendance continue to increase. At the end of 1896 the number of such children on the rolls was 2,023 ; during the year it rose to 2,260. This is altogether independent of the number of pupils on the books of the Native schools (2,864), and the number attending boarding-schools for Natives at Government expense (73).

ii

Sek. >ol Attendance. Yearly Im α-ease on Year. ifll IBs JO J2 a H Average A1 jtendance. Hi! till S oft ° > I »S C3 O o so w> g'Sag sg.StS t3 a H Sirs o Average Ati tendance. Fourth Quarter. Whole Year. Fourth Quarter. Whole Year. 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 50,849 59,707 68,124 74,359 76,309 79,416 84,883 90,670 - 95,377 99,206 103,534 104,919 108,158 110,665 112,279 114,305 116,819 119,900 122,425 123,533 55,688 65,040 75,566 82,401 83,560 87,179 92,476 97,238 102,407 106,328 110,919 112,685 115,456 117,912 119,523 122,620 124,686 127,300 129,856 131,037 132,197 49,435 57,301 62,946 63,009 66,426 70,077 74,650 80,183 83,361 87,386 90,849 94,308 96,670 96,264 100,917 99,872 106,151 107,222 109,253 110,523 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 98,615 103,490 106,622 108,976 110,993 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 82-9 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 1,108 9,352 10,526 6,835 1,159 3,619 5,297 4,762 5,169 3,921 4,591 1,766 2,771 2,456 1,611 3,097 2,066 2,614 2,556 1,181 1,160 7,866 5,645 63 3,417 3,651 4,573 5,533 3,178 4,025 3,463 3,459 2,362 [-406] 4,653 [-1,045] 6,279 1,071 2,031 1,270 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 2,017

Education Districts. Pupils at Beginning of Year. Eoll-ni imbers. Average Dail; j Attendi wice. Si*O c3 i_i >h <D ► ft S° !h O 53 $ <o 5«t* > -. i Admitted during the Year. Left during the ' Year. belonging - at End of Year. Fourth Quai rter. Boys. Girls. Whole Year. Total. 1897. 1896. Auckland Taranaki .. ... Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay .. Marlborough Nelson 24,789 3,606 9,370 12,458 7,007 2,069 5,723 1,561 1,488 20,364 5,076 20,905 9,117 12,311 1,503 4,092 6,427 3,458 735 1,845 445 346 6,434 1,493 6,476 3,191 9,417 1,264 3,272 4,854 2,886 624 1,625 308 372 5,970 1,358 5,594 2,548 27,683 3,845 10,190 14,031 7,579 2,180 5,943 1,698 1,462 20,828 5,211 21,787 9,760 11,821 1,581 4,319 6,045 3,384 939 2,515 704 630 9,145 2,367 9,897 4,157 10,792 1,437 4,033 5,602 3,012 884 2,285 719 633 8,443 2,181 9,231 3,767 22,613 3,018 8,352 11,647 6,396 1,823 4,800 1,423 1,263 17,588 4,548 19,128 7,924 22,643 3,047 8,257 11,659 6,389 1,804 4,895 1,385 1,294 17,753 4,564 19,360 7,943 810 77-8 80-4 82'2 84-1 82-7 80-5 82-7 85-3 83-5 86-1 87-4 80-7 81-7 776 79-8 80-3 83-3 80-8 80-5 80-9 86'5 81-1 84-7 86-5 80-7 Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland Totals for 1897 Totals for 1896 123,533 122,425 48,756 48,729 40,092 40,117 132,197 131,037 57,504 56,826 53,019 52,427 110,523 109,253 110,993 108,976 82-9 82'1 82-1 Increase in year 1,108 27 - 25 1,160 678 592 1,270 2,017 0-8