WHERE THE SECONDARY PUPILS ARE FOUND. In the following table (Table 2) the secondary pupils are classified according to the character of the institution attended. It will be seen from the table that there are comparatively few public secondary pupils outside of the common schools (i. e., in public universities, etc.), the proportion of such being only about 3 per cent of the public secondary pupils. In fact, a large number of the State universities have no preparatory departments, but confine themselves exclusively to collegiate instruction. On the other hand, of the 154,429 private secondary pupils, over onethird are found in higher institutions. In the North Central Division, indeed, more than one-half of the private secondary pupils are found in institutions classed as collegiate, while in the North Atlantic Division only about one-sixth,-a good evidence of the higher degree of development of the colleges of the latter section. The 239,556 high-school pupils of Column 2, combined with the 12,966,321 public elementary pupils of Column 2, Table 1, form the common-school enrollment, the statistics of which are given in detail in Chapter II ("Statistics of State common-school systems"). The statistics of public high schools and private secondary schools (Columns 2 and 6 of the following table) are also given more particularly by States and by schools in subsequent chapters. TABLE 2.-Showing distribution of pupils receiving secondary instruction. WHAT PER CENT OF THE TOTAL POPULATION IS UNDER INSTRUCTION. Table 3 gives the per cent of the population receiving instruction in the different grades in public and in private schools. The same is also shown more clearly to the eye in Diagram 1. Out of every 100 persons 22-69 are receiving school education; of these, 20.46 are in public schools and 2.23 in private schools. Of the 22.69 pupils, moreover, 21.84, or somewhat more than one-fifth of the population, are under elementary instruction; 0.62, or 1 person in every 160, is under secondary instruction; and 0-23, or 1 person in every 439, is under higher instruction. Of the 21.84 elementary pupils, 20, or precisely one-fifth of the population, are found in public schools. A smaller proportion of the secondary pupils are public, and in the higher grade the private students are in the majority. TABLE 3.-Per cent of the total population enrolled in the different grades. DIAGRAM 1.-The outer square represents 100 persons of the population. The inner squares show how many of these 100 are receiving school or collegiate instruction. WHAT PART OF THE SCHOOL POPULATION IS ATTENDING SCHOOL. In Table 4 a comparison is made between the school population (i. e., the whole number of children 5 to 18 years of age) and the number of pupils actually receiving elementary and secondary instruction. The results are also shown graphically, in part, in Diagram 2. It will be seen that in each grade of instruction, in both public and private schools, the North and West have a greater percentage of their school population enrolled than the South, except that the North Central Division falls behind the South in regard to private secondary pupils. In most of the States of the North Central Division, however, the conditions have been such that they have not encouraged the establishment of private secondary schools, inasmuch as public high schools have almost from the beginning been a part of their public-school systems. Secondary education especially lacks development in the South. Taking the public and private together (Column 7 of the table), it will be seen that there are less than half as many secondary pupils in proportion to the school population as there are in the North. The North Atlantic Division, for instance, has 2.94 secondary pupils to the 100 children of school age, against 1.14 in the South Central Division. If public secondary education alone is considered (Column 5), the contrast is still stronger. The figures of Column 5 reflect the opposition that still exists in some parts of the South to the establishment of public high schools. For every 100 children 5 to 18 years of age in the United States there are 73-82 pupils receiving elementary instruction, and 2-09 receiving secondary instruction; the remaining 24-09 are classed on Diagram 2 as "nonattendants," though as a small portion of the 75-91 (=73·82+ 2.09) pupils have passed the age of 18 years, the number of nonattendants between the ages of 5 and 18 years should be slightly larger than 24-09 to the 100. The number of nonattendants shown on the diagram may therefore be considered as representing the minimum values. It is not to be understood, however, that all these nonattendants are growing up in ignorance. Some are too young to attend, others have passed through the elementary grades, perhaps have received some secondary education, and have left school for other occupations. TABLE 4.—Showing what per cent of the school population (5 to 18 years) is receiving elementary and secondary instruction, in public and in private schools and institutions. Secondary instruction. Elementary instruction. |