E.—l

IV

Table Cis a condensed form of Table No. lin the Appendix; it gives the roll-numbers arranged for age and sex. A comparison of this table with the corresponding table in last year's report does not reveal any features that seem to call for remark; the proportion of boys to girls in the public schools of the colony remains about the same, 51 "9 per cent, to 48 - l per cent. The number below the age of ten is to the number above ten as 51"8 is to 48"2.

TABLE C. —Age and Sex of Pupils, December, 1899.

Table No. 2 in the Appendix shows the numbers in the several classes for the various districts, and Table D is a summary of the same figures for the whole colony. The proportion of pupils in the preparatory classes shows an increase for the year; taking into account the pupils of all the classes below Standard 111., we find the proportion practically unchanged from that shown in 1898 ; the proportion of pupils in the Standard VI. classes has also increased; the other classes present a slight decrease. The percentages of pupils in the Standard Classes I. to VI. for the years 1898 and 1899 were respectively 71-36 and 70-84.

TABLE D. —Classification by Standards, December, 1899.

Table E gives the average ages at which children passed the various standards ; these, on the whole, are lower than in the previous year.

TABLE E.—Average Age of Pupils at Standard Examinations in 1899.

Ages. Boys. Girls. Total. Percentage is for Five Years. Five and under six years Six and under seven years Seven and under eight years Eight and under nine years Nine and under ten years Ten and under eleven years Eleven and under twelve years Twelve and under thirteen years Thirteen and under fourteen years .. Fourteen and under fifteen years .. Over fifteen years 5,323 6,881 7,533 7,768 7,830 7,763 7,833 7,273 5,602 3,095 1,300 4,852 6,355 7,075 7,076 7,282 7,224 7,409 6,699 4,895 2,789 1,458 10,175 13,236 14,608 14,844 15,112 14,987 15,242 13,972 10,497 5,884 2,758 1899. 7-8 10-1 11-1 11-3 11-5 11-4 11-6 10-6 8-0 4-5 2-1 1898. 7-7 10-1 11-2 11-4 11-4 11-7 11-2 10-5 8-1 4-5 2-2 1897. 7-6 10-0 11-2, 11-2 11-6 11-5 11-1 10-7 8-3 . 4-5 2-3 1896. 7-4 9-9 11-2 11-6 11-6 11-5 11-3 10-6 8-1 4-5 2-3 1895. 7-4 9-8 11-6 11-5 11-6 11-6 11-4 10-5 7-9 4-4 2-3 Totals .. 68,201 63,114 131,315 100-0 100-0 100-0 100-0 100-0

Standards. Boys. Girls. Totals. 'ercentagi >s for Fivi Years. 'reparatory classes 'lass for Standard 1. II. III. IV. V. VI. 'assed Standard VI. 17,461 8,306 8,534 9,632 9,232 7,451 5,125 2,460 15,490 7,525 7,797 8,752 8,694 7,075 4,898 2,883 32,951 15,831 16,331 18,384 17,926 14,526 10,023 5,343 1899. 25-09 12-06 12-44 14-00 13-65 11-06 7-63 4-07 1898. 24-52 12-32 12-77 14-15 13-67 11-17 7-28 4-12 1897. 24-58 12-30 12-85 14-30 14-10 10-90 7-26 3-71 1896. 24-91 12-68 13-13 14-46 14-11 10-53 6-75 3-43 1895. 24-94 13-01 13-41 14-80 13-90 10-35 6-27 3-32 Totals.. 68,201 63,114 131,315 100-00 100-00 100-00 100-00 100-00

Education Distriots. Ave] rage Ages for Standi brds. Mean if Ages. mckland 7 aranaki Vanganui Vellington lawke's Bay .. tarlborough .. f elson Irey Vestland forth Canterbury South Canterbury )tago Southland I. Yrs. mos. 8 11 9 3 9 1 8 8 8 11 8 6 8 5 8 9 8 11 8 7 8 7 8 6 8 9 II. Yrs. mos. 10 2 10 7 10 1 9 11 10 1 9 11 9 11 10 1 10 0 9 8 9 5 9 6 9 9 III. Yrs. mos. 11 2 11 9 11 5 10 9 11 3 11 0 10 10 11 0 10 11 10 11 10 8 10 3 10 9 IV. Yrs. moa. 12 3 12 10 12 7 11 10 12 4 12 6 11 10 12 5 12 0 11 11 11 8 12 0 12 0 V. Yrs. mos. 13 2 13 10 13 5 12 9 13 2 13 5 12 10 13 4 12 11 12 11 12 9 12 5 13 0 VI. Yrs. mos. 13 11 14 8 14 2 13 10 14 0 14 3 13 10 14 4 13 11 13 9 13 8 13 7 13 9 1899. Yrs. mos. 11 7 12 1 11 9 11 4 11 11 11 7 11 3 11 8 11 5 11 3 11 1 11 1 11 4 1898. Yrs. mos. 11 8 12 2 11 11 11 3 11 8 11 7 11 4 11 8 11 6 11 3 11 2 11 3 11 4 Mean Range (difference between highest and lowest) 8 9 9 11 11 0 12 2 13 1 14 0 11 6 11 6 0 10 1 2 1 6 1 2 1 5 1 1 1 0 1 0 Mean in 1898 Range in 1898 8 10 1 0 9 11 1 0 11 1 1 2 12 3 0 11 13 1 1 2 14 1 1 2 11 1 6 0