ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SCHOOLS OF NEW BRUNSWICK, 1884. PART I-GENERAL REPORT. To His Honor The Honorable Robert Duncan Wilmot, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of New Brunswick. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOR,— In submitting the Thirteenth Annual Report of the Free School System of the Province, I am able to state that the year has been marked in many important respects by considerable educational activity. As will be seen from a comparison of the Statistics with those of the preceding year, there is a very gratifying increase in the number of Schools, Teachers, and registration and average attendance of pupils. The increase in the erection and improvement of School-houses has, considering the large number of substantial buildings already throughout the country, been fairly satisfactory, and from the reports of the Inspectors it will be seen that the general efficiency of the Schools which must ever be the prime object of a School System, has been maintained. The increase in the salaries of Teachers, slight as it is, is a further evidence of the progress which has characterized the operations of the year. The large increase in the disbursements of Provincial Grants is explained in the Summary of Table IX. A Summary View of the Schools for the Year ended April 30th, 1884. The Statistical Tables embraced in Part II are brought down to the year ended April 30th, 1884. Tables IX and X showing the disbursements of Provincial Grants and the apportionment of the County Fund to Trustees are brought down to October 31st, the end of the School Year. Part III includes reports on Normal School, of Inspectors and of Boards of Trustees of cities and incorporated towns for the School Year; while the leading statistics for the same period are embraced in the General Report. PRELIMINARY TABLE I.—NUMBER OF SCHOOLS, TEACHERS, PUPILS, &C. Summer Term, 1883.-The number of schools was 1451-increase 40; the number of Teachers, 1527—increase 47; the number of Pupils, 54,883—increase 2125. Winter Term, 1884.-The number of schools was 1414-increase 36; the number of Teachers 1502-increase 64; the number of Pupils in attendance 53,509-increase 2817. The number of Districts having Schools in operation in the Summer Term, that were without Schools in the Winter Term, was 152-decrease; 17 and the number having Schools in the Winter Term, that were without Schools in the Summer Term, was 122-decrease 10. The total number of different pupils in attendance at the Schools within the year, was 66,074-increase 1493. TABLE II. PROPORTION OF POPULATION AT SCHOOL, AGE AND SEX OF PUPILS, PERCENTAGE OF DAILY AND FULL-TERM ATTENDANCE. Summer Term, 1883.—The proportion of the population of the Province enrolled at the public schools this Term, according to the census of 1881, was 1 in 5.85. It will be seen that the attendance exceeded this percentage in the following Counties:-Carleton, Charlotte, Kings, Queens, Restigouche, Westmoreland and York. It was highest in Westmoreland, (5.25) next in York (5.41). It was lowest in Madawaska, (7.83) and next St. John, (6.52). 514 were under 5 years of age-increase 47; 52,159 between 5 and 15years-increase 2133: and 2210 over 15 years-decrease 55. There were 27,506 Boys-increase 1067; and 27,377 Girls-increase 1058. Grand total days attendance, made by the pupils enrolled, was 2,947,749, -increase 41,680. The average monthly percentage of pupils daily present during the Term was 81.72. The following exhibits this percentage during the Summer Term since 1874 The percentage of pupils daily present on an average during the period the several schools were open was 59.66. Westmoreland made the highest percentage (68.07), St. John second (66.58), and Victoria the lowest (51.60). The following shews the percentage for this Province during the Summer Term since 1873: The attendance of pupils in all the schools in operation for a longer or shorter period of the year was equal to attendance during every prescribed teaching day in the Term of 55.10 per cent. This percentage measures both the regularity of attendance and that of the time the schools were open. The highest percentage was made by Westmoreland County (65.24), St. John second (62.12), while Kings stood the lowest (42.25). The following are the percentages since 1873: Winter Term, 1884.-The proportion of the population at school this Term was 1 in 6.00 (census of 1881). This percentage was exceeded in Albert, Carleton, Charlotte, Kings, Queens, Restigouche, Sunbury, Westmoreland and York. It was highest in Carleton (4.93); lowest in Madawaska (10.99). Of the pupils 164 were under 5 years of age-increase 6; between 5 and 15 years 48,285-increase 2364; and 5060 were over 15 years-increase 477. There were 29,214; Boys-increase 1595; and 24,295 Girls-increase 1252 Grand total days' attendance made by the pupils enrolled, was 3,455,989 -increase 118,809. The average monthly percentage of pupils daily present during the Term was for the whole Province 76.34. The following are the percentages for this. Term since 1874: |