E.—l

first quarter of 1896 is 110,132. Table A shows the annual increments of attendance from the date of " The Education Act, 1877."

TABLE A.—School Attendance and Yearly Increase from 1877 to 1895.

The degree of regularity with which the pupils attended in 1895 is indicated by the number 81 "4, the highest yet attained. It represents the average attendance of the year expressed as a percentage of the average number of pupils on the roll. In the present case the strict average attendance is 106,622, and the average of the number on the books week by week is 130,942. Table B shows that the highest degree of regularity is to be found in Otago, where on the average only one pupil in seven is absent.

TABLE B.—School Attendance for 1895.

A comparison of this table with Table B in last year's report will show that there has been an increase in the number of pupils in every district. The number of Maori children attending the public schools at the end of 1895 was 1,894, as stated in the following table : —

II

Sch( ioI Attendance. Yearly Im rrrease on Year. 1.° §11® JS.2 M _ a P. USE o "a. Average Al .tendance. fllj o . • M Si? S "P. o 5§§ M <_ O •3 b S *_ a'»>gS _ Q 10 a H fcr-p <• 2 c. % n w _ 9 gin S'taw *o3 J2 Average At. jendance. Fourth Quarter. Whole Year. Fourth Quarter. Whole Year. 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 ' 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 50,849 59,707 68,124 74,359 76,309 79,416 84,883 90,670 95,377 99,206 103,534 104,919 108,158 110,665 112,279 114,305 116,819 119,900 55,688 65,040 75,566 82,401 83,560 87,179 92,476 97,238 102,407 106,328 110,919 112,685 115,456 117,912 119,523 122,620 124,686 127,300 129,856 49,435 57,301 62,946 63,009 66,426 70,077 74,650 80,183 ■ 83,361 87,386 90,849 94,308 96,670 96,264 100,917 99,872 106,151 107,222 45,521 53,067 60,625 61,822 63,709 67,373 72,657 78,327 80,737 85,637 90,108 93,374 94,632 97,058 99,070 98,615 103,490 106,622 73-8 74-6 74-2 73-6 74-0 75-1 76-6 76-1 77-0 79-3 80-3 79-9 80-3 80-6 78-5 80-6 81*4 8,858 8,417 6,235 1,950 3,107 5,467 5,787 4,707 3,829 4,328 1,385 3,239 2,507 1,614 2,026 2,514 3,081 9,352 10,526 6,835 1,159 3,619 5,297 4,762 5,169 3,921 4,591 1,766 2,771 2,456 1,611 3,097 2,066 2,614 2,556 7,866 5,645 63 3,417 3,651 4,573 5,533 3,178 4,025 3,463 3,459 2,362 [-406] 4,653 [-1,045] 6,279 1,071 7,546 7,558 1,197 1,887 3,664 5,284 5,670 2,410 4,900 4,471 3,266 1,258 2,426 2,012 [-455] 4,875 3,132

Admitted during the Year. Roll-Numbers. Average Daily Attend! mce. " 0) ooco _!,0g° I - Education Districts. Pupils at Beginning of Year Left during the Year. belonging at End of Year. Fourth Quarter. Boys. Girls. Total. Whole Year. 1895. 1894. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Wellington Hawke's Bay Marlborough Nelson Grey Westland North Canterbury South Canterbury Otago Southland 23,419 3,394 8,600 11,558 6,752 2,014 5,549 1,578 1,516 20,319 4,903 21,305 8,993 11,012 1,520 4,285 6,417 3,226 877 1,979 469 375 6,973 1,658 6,611 2,942 8,837 1,145 3,271 4,927 2,631 662 1,533 337 340 5,924 1,230 5,187 2,364 25,594 3,769 9,614 13,048 7,347 2,229 5,995 1,710 1,551 21,368 5,331 22,729 9,571 10,948 1,568 3,941 5,583 3,159 903 2,551 733 681 9,266 2,309 10,243 4,083 10,095 1,344 3,692 5,071 2,826 860 2,303 728 670 8,375 2,178 9,436 3,676 21,043 2,912 7,633 10,654 5,985 1,763 4,854 1,461 1,351 17,641 4,487 19,679 7,759 20,997 2,866 7,488 10,693 6,009 1,805 4,807 1,400 1,341 17,511 4,453 19,607 7,645 81-0 75-8 76-8 81*1 81-5 82-0 79-4 81*5 84-6 81-2 84-3 85-9 79-0 80-4 73-7 77-0 79-2 80-0 79-4 77-5 77-2 81-2 81-3 82-6 84-9 77-9 Totals for 1895 Totals for 1894 119,900 116,819 48,344 50,105 38,388 39,624 129,856 127,300 55,968 55,125 51,254 51,026 107,222 106,151 106,622 103,490 81-4 80-6 80-6 Increase in year Decrease in year 3,081 1.761 1.236 2,556 843 228 1,071 8,132 0-8