The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1911-04-18
ENROLMENT IS SMALL
IN THE RURAL SCHOOLS
New Law Effective Next Year tN-
pected to Bridge Chasm BE-
tween Elementary and
High Schools.

Austin, Texas, April 1S.-T. II.
shelby. chief clerk in the state de-
partment of education, in speaking
of the work of the department III
compiling the statistical tables III
the state superintendent biennial
report to the governor for the years
ending August 81, 1909. and August
81. 1910, stated as follows;
"The following comparison OF en-
rollment with the census enumera-
ton of white children within seize
lastic age in the common school DIS
tricts and Independent districts OF
the state will prove of interest. The
census enumeration OF l9o9-lo
showed that there We 49tbl9
white children within the scholastic
age residing in common school GlS-
nicts and independent dtsticts 1
less than $50 scholastics, WINE
there were 259,151 white scholasticS
residing in the independent districts
of more than $50 scholastics. The to-
tai enrolment of white Chl!creh
within the scholastic age In all
schools of common school districts
| of less than $50 scholastics for the
same wear was 420,SS5, while the to-
tai enrolment for the same year In
independent districts of more than
I15O scholastics was 243,919. 1t Will
| he observed from the above that only
| "a per cent of the white children
| within the scholastic age residing IN
common school districts and lnde-
pendent districts of less than 100
scholastics in this state were enroll
ed at all in thSp%blic schools while
| "a per cent of he white pupils
| within scholastic age residing in in
dependent districts of more than 50
scholastics were enrolled in the pub
lie schools. To put it in another form
there were 76,7S4 children of school
age in the common, or rural schools,
who were not even enrolled in the
public schools for the year 1909-10;
while there were 1922 pupils of
school age in Independent districts
who were not enrolled in the public
schools.
"The showing with reference to
the colored schools is, of course,
great deal worse than that for white
schools.
"a fair Indication of the amount
of high school work being attempted
in the small rural schools is shown
by the following;
There were 6794 white pupils in
the common school districts enrolled
in eight grade subjects; 2412 in the
ninth grade subjects 1888 in the
tenth grade subjects; and 81 in the
| eleventh grade subjects. There were
t16,245 pupils enrolled in the eighth
grade in Independent Districts TO-
963 in the ninth grade; 6623 in the
tenth grade; 1859 in the eleventh
grade; and 3S1 in the twelfth
grade. This gives a total of 10,176
| pupils of the common school dis
tricts and Independent districts of
less than $50 scholastics as pursuing
high school subjects, many of whom
are not taking full grade work;
while 36,971 pupils were enrolled in
high school grades in the independ-
ent districts, practically all of whom
were taking full grade work under a
regular system of graduation. There
are practically twice as many white
children in common school districts
and independent districts of less
than so scholastics as there are in
Independent districts of more than
$50 scholastics: while only a little
more than one-quarter as many pu-
pills in these small schools were pur-
suing high school subjects as in the
larger Independent districts If we
consider the number of graduates in
the two classes of schools, we find
that approximately 26 white chill
| dren within the scholastic age out of
each 10000 such pupils enrolled in
the common school districts and in
| dependent districts Of less than $50
| scholastics were graduated; while in
| Independent districts having $50 or
more scholastics nearly l30 out Of
each 10000 scholastics enrolled in
the schools were graduated.
1T is believed by the friends of
The measure that the new country
high school bill. which was enacted
by the thirty-second legislature and
which becomes effective June ..
1911, will bridge the chasm between
the elemntary schools and the col
leges and universities Of the state
which has so long been barrier to
the higher education of the great
masses Of the boys and girls of this
state"
SCRATCHED FOR FORTY YEARS