E.—l.

PRIMARY EDUCATION. Numbkr, of Public Schools. The number of public schools open at the end of 1925 was 2,580, or six more than in the previous year. In the following table the schools are classified according to their grade, and the yearly average attendance and the number of children per teacher are shown.

It will be seen that 1,509 schools, or more than half the total number, had an average attendance of less than thirty-six pupils. These sole-teacher schools had a total average attendance of 25,950. Consolidation of Small Schools. As the combined or consolidated country school becomes longer established and its advantages become wider known and better understood, applications for consolidation become more numerous. At each of the places, Oxford in Canterbury and Piopio in the South Auckland district, five schools have been replaced by

4

Average Number of Children Average Attendance. per Teacher in Primary Number Department. Grade of School. of : Schools. Primary Secondary j Total Excluding Including Department. Department, i " Probationers. Probationers. 0 (1-8) .. 209 1,221 .. 1,221 6 6 1 (9-20) .. 794 11,399 .. 11,399 14 14 II (21-35) .. 506 13,330 .. 13,330 26 25 IIIa (36-50) .. 320 13,760 .. 13,760 22 22 IIIB (51-80) .. 253 15,622 48 15,670 30 28 IIIc (81-120) .. 145 13,706 185 13,891 34 30 IVa (121-160) .. 63 8,771 132 8,903 "1 IVB (161-200) .. 25 4,410 189 4,599 I 42 35 IVc (201-240) .. 38 8,261 436 8,697 J VA (241-280) .. 27 6.942 353 7,295 1 VB (281-320) .. 25 7,664 139 7,803 )> 41 35 Vc (321-360) .. 29 10,268 257 10,525 J VIa (361-400) .. 24 9,193 528 9,721 "j VIB (401-440) .. 17 7,184 212 7,396 |> 43 36 Vic (441-480) .. 10 4,637 80 4,717 J VIIa (481-520) .. 18 9,027 96 9,123 " VIIB (521-560) .. 17 9,309 144 9,453 Vile (561-600) .. 16 9,386 216 9,602 VIID (601-640) .. 13 8,495 91 8,586 VIIe (641-680) .. 14 9,126 .. 1 9,126 VIIF (681-720) .. 6 4,285 .. 4,285 I ' _ VIIG (721-760) .. 4 2,980 49 3,029 f 01 VIIH (761-800) .. 5 3,941 .. 3,941 VIIi (801-840) VIIj (841-880) .. 1 889 .. 889 VIIK (881-920) VIIL (921-960) .. | 1 935 .. 935 Totals, 1925 .. 2,580 194,741 3,155 197,896 32 29 Totals, 1924 .. 2,574 190,837 3,054 193,891 31 29 Difference .. + 6 j + 3,904 + 101 + 4,005 + 1 0

Average Number of Children Total Average P er Teacher ' Attendance. j ? (Primary.) Excluding | Including Probationers, i Probationers. Grades III-VII (two or more teachers) .. .. 168,791 38 33 Grades V-VII (six or more teachers) .. .. 104,261 43 36 All schools .. .. .. .. .. 194,741 32 29