7

E.- 1

Table A.—Number of Public Schools in each Grade, 1913 and 1914.

Of the total for 1914, 2,259 are mixed schools, 9 are separate schools (boys' 2, girls' 2, infants' 5), and 33 are side schools. Of the mixed schools 60 are district high schools, and 142 are half-time schools. The number of schools with two or more teachers in 1914 was 899, an increase of 14 over the number for the previous year. Of these schools there were 38 with an average attendance exceeding 600 in 1914, the number for 1913 being 37. Sole-teacher schools, those with not over 35 in average attendance, numbered 1,375 in 1914, an increase of 13 over the previous year ; but, as already stated, schools are in some cases maintained in a highei grade than their average attendance would appear to warrant, while on the other hand a number of schools in. charge of sole teachers at the beginning of the year had so risen in attendance as to be entitled to assistant teachers before the end of the year. When due allowance is made for such cases the number of sole-teacher schools is 1,402. The aggregate average attendance at these sole-teacher schools in 1914 was 24,622, or 15-5 per cent, of the total average attendance of the Dominion ; in 1913 the aggregate was 23,948, or 15-8 per cent. The average attendance per school in the case of soleteacher schools was 17-6, or, omitting schools below 16 in average attendance, 23-7. The number of small schools with an average not exceeding 15 has increased since 1913 from 585 to 611, and the number with an average attendance of 16 to 80 has increased from 1,268 to 1,276. The total number, therefore, of schools with not more than 80 in average attendance in 1914 was 1,887, an increase of 34 over the previous year. For the number of schools in each education district, classified in grades, reference should be made to Table Al in E.-2, Report on Primary Education. During the year 1914, 99 schools were closed. Several of these schools, although reckoned as closed in their original form, were reopened in another : in some cases two schools were amalgamated ; in some, half-time schools became separate fulltime schools ; and so on. Including such reopened schools, the total number of schools opened during the year was 145. The following list shows the number of schools opened and closed in each of the various education districts : —

Table Aa.—Increases in Number of Public Schools.

Grade (as in Education Amendment Aot, 1908). Number of 1913. Sohooli 1914. Is. „,,._, .. , , Number of Sohool Grade (as in Eduoation Amendment Aot, 1908). — | — 0. (1-8) 1. (9-15) II. (16-25) III. (26-35) TV. (36-80) V. (81-120) VT i VIa. (121-160) .. ; V . VIb. (161-200) .. VTT | VIIa. (201-250) .. V I VIIb. (251-300) .. I VIIIa. (301-350) .. VIII. VIIIb. (351-400) .. IVIIIc. (401-450) .. 173 412 480 297 ' 491 125 59 34 35 28 29 13 13 168 443 458 306 512 125 56 40 40 20 39 11 0 I IXa. (451-500) ' .. ! 13 18 IX. ! XIb. (501,-550) .. 13 9 I IXc. (551-600) .. 3 9 / Xa. (601-650) .. 15 12 Xb. (651-700) .. 3 5 Xo. (701-750) .. , . 8 i 8 Xi>. (751-800) .. ! 5 7 X. Xb. (801-850) .. 3 3 Xf. (851-900) .. 2 3 Xg. (901-950) .. 1 Xh. (951-1,000) Xi. (1,001-1.050) .. Totals .. .. 2,255 2,301 2,255 2,301

'District. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland Number of Number of Schools closed. Schools opened. T7 ~4T" ~~69~ 2 5 ..5 7 ..7 4 4 12 ..9 9 5 8 1 2 1 3 7 ..3 3 .. 2 11 .. ! 7 9 Increase in Number of Schools. 20 3 2 8 3 4 9 2 Decrease in Number of Schools. 3 i i Increase in 1914, 46. 145 99 145 _61 51 5 5