E.—l.

In the next table the average attendance in each education district is shown in detail by a statement of the aggregate attendance at each group of schools under the classification in Table J. The number of small schools, with an average attendance not exceeding 20, has increased by 13, from 486 to 499.

TABLE J1.— Average Attendance for the Year 1902 at the Schools as grouped in Table J.

During the year 1902, 40 schools were closed — viz., in Auckland, 5; Wanganui, 1; Wellington, 6; Hawke's Bay, 2; Marlborough, 8; Nelson, 3; Westland, 3; North Canterbury, 2; South Canterbury, 1 ; Otago, 7; and Southland, 2. These were all small schools, and were closed, generally speaking, for ordinary reasons connected with movements of the population. Owing to the constitution of the new County of Bgmont out of portions of the Counties of Taranaki and Hawera, it became necessary, under " The Education Districts Act, 1882," to redefine the Education Districts of Taranaki and Wanganui. An order was accordingly made by His Excellency the Governor in Council, and the new county was thereby declared to be comprised in the District of Taranaki, in consequence of which three schools were transferred to that district which had previously been in the District of Wanganui. Public-school Teachees. In December, 1902, there were employed in the public schools of the colony 3,704 teachers ; of these, 2,957 were adults and 747 pupil-teachers: the corresponding numbers for December, 1901, were 2,668 adults and 955 pupil-teachers. Of the adult teachers at the end of 1902,1,272 were men and l,6Bsiiwere women ; of the pupil-teachers, 143 were male and 604 female. The number of adult male teachers was 50, and of adult female teachers 239, more than in December, 1901; and the number of male pupil-teachers was 41 less, and of females 167 less, than at that period. Most, in fact nearly all, of the pupil-teachers displaced have during the year received appointments as assistant teachers. The average number of children in attendance to|one teacher during the year 1902 was 30*7. ii-E 1,

IX

Yearly 'd Average § Attendance. 2 f_ 3 1 Cβ EH I '3 I I Qβ q I I i a o s I I 'A 13 I l If if ! o g 3 1 i' 5 o EH 1 to 8 39 9 „ 20 1,513 21 „ 30 2,387 31 . 40 1,592 41 „ 50 1,574 51 , 70 1,583 71 „ 90 1,050 91 „ 120 1,477 121 „ 150 1,075 151 „ 200 1,559 201 „ 250 1,823 251 „ 280 281 „ 330 1,234 331 „ 390 391 „ 420 411 421 „ 480 443 481 „ 510 1,014 511 „ 570 2,752 571 „ 600 1,751 601 „ 660 658 661 „ 690 672 691 „ 750 751 „ 780 781 „ 840 841 „ 870 871 „ 980 931 „ 960 961 „ 1020 12 ! 207 ■', 402 j 395 493 ! 230 221 499 i 292 20 488 733 762 579 1,174 610 843 828 54 474 738 421 575 643 765 586 514 836 214 803 7 234 226 247 172 801 378 406 530 645 460 263 324 362 137 149 159 102 86 180 110 428 616 356 498 433 465 107 279 326 443 270 36 186 53 187 57 ; 154 102 64 38 158 707 52 1,194 71 487 86 1,124 66 829 74 1,037 1,393 422 847 455 892 253 596 343 417 2,171 8 165 562 306 441 405 239 104 34 806 711 1,135 824 1,506 871 489 764 668 873 785 886 725 1,215 911 508 2,755 33 294 1,159 1,030 314 780 661 761 407 563 469 273 311 592 5,809 8,992 6,904 6,953 8,687 6,525 6,983 5,543 6,151 7,156 2,917 3,961 2,810 2,845 6,615 2,490 7,703 2,325 3,823 2,689 2,175 773 80S 216 432 212 I 1,315 270 173 534 715 394 879 333 408 909 491 542 284 326 332 431 446 425 564 553 482 537 .. 1,254 1,356 712 617 652 661 574 642 1,463 .. 773 805 .. I .. " i .. 886 '886 •• " 991 991 Totals, 1902 24,607 Totals, 1901 24,468 Difierenoe 139 3,958 3,516 442 9,610 9,219 391 12,628 12,614 7,071 6,855 216 1,745 1,767 -22 4,813 4,741 72 1,394 ! 1,369 25 1,026 16,742 1,049 16,585 -23 157 4,464 4,474 -10 17,774 17,546 228 8,271 7,955 114,103 112,158 14 316 1,945