£.—2.

The average daily attendance, in actual numbers and as a average weekly roll-number, for each quarter of the year 1908 was as follows : — Actual Per Cent. Attendance. of Roll. First quarter . . . . .. . . .. 125,288 86-9 Second quarter . . .. . . .. .. 126,597 87-2 Third quarter 126,581 86-7 Fourth quarter .. .. .. .. .. 130,175 87-7 Whole year .. . . .. 127,160 87-1 Age and Sex of Pupils. Table C shows the age and sex of the pupils on the rolls of the public schools of the Dominion at the end of 1908, and the percentage of the roll for each age.

TABLE C. —Age and Sex of Pupils, December, 1908.

Age. —Of the children in the public schools, 52-8 per cent, are under ten, and 47*2 are over that age ; the corresponding percentages for 1907 were 52*6 and 47*4. The proportion of children under ten continues, as in past years, to show a slight increase. This is probably to be accounted for partly by the increase in the population of the Dominion, partly by the larger number entering the secondary schools especially between the ages of thirteen and fourteen. Sex. —The proportion of boys to girls remains about the same as for the previous six years, 52*33 per cent, to 47 - 67 per cent.—that is, for every 100 boys on the roll there are 91 girls. The proportion is the same if we omit those over fifteen years of age. Now, according to the census of 1906 there were in New Zealand, between the ages of five and fifteen, 97 girls for every 100 boys. The difference in the proportion on the school rolls is partly accounted for by reference to the number enrolled between the ages of five and seven —for every 100 boys between these limits there are on the rolls of the public schools only 89 girls ; in other words, speaking generally, girls are not sent to school at so early an age as boys. The second important source of leakage is found between the ages of twelve and fifteen, where the ratio of girls to boys on the school rolls is again 89 to 100 : this seems to mean that more girls than boys are taken away from the primary schools at the age-period named. The number of girls to every 100 boys between twelve and fifteen years of age at the secondary schools of the Dominion is only 73 ; so that the leakage is not accounted for in this direction. Apparently there are a certain number of parents who think that it is sufficient for a girl to have little more than half the amount of schooling that a boy receives. Race of Pupils. Besides the children of Maori race who are receiving instruction in the Maori village-schools, there are about as many more who are attending public schools ; so

5

Ages. Boys. Girls. ■ Total. Percenti iges for Five Years. 5 and under 6 years 6 „ „ 7 „ 7 „ . 8 „ 8 . , 9 „ 9 . ,.10 ., 10 „ „ 11 „ 11 .. 12 „ 12 ., „ 13 „ 13 .. .. 14 „ 14 , ., 15 „ .. 6,398 ■ .. ! 8,258 .. 9,014 .. 8,588 8,475 8,581 8,418 7,899 6,636 .. 3,376 5.700 i 12,093 7,81)7 15,655 8,285 17,299 8,001 16,589 7,765 16,240 7,921 I 16,502 7.701 16,119 7,407 15,300 5,751 12,387 2,862 I 6,238 1908. 8-2 10-6 117 11 3 11-0 11-2 109 10-4 8-4 4-2 1907. 80 105 11-6 111 11 4 11 3 110 10-5 8-7 40 1906. 8-3 10-6 111 11-5 11-4 11-4 ll-l 10-5 8-3 4-0 1905. 8-1 103 11-4 11-5 11-5 113 11-2 10-6 8-3 3-9 1904. 7'8 10-3 11-5 11-5 11 i 11-5 111 10-7 83 4-0 15 and over Totals 75,686 1.514 .. 77,152 68,790 144,428 1,486 3,000 97-9 2-1 98-1 1-9 98-2 1-8 98-1 1-9 98-1 1-9 70,276 147,428 100-0 1000 1000 1000 1000