Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-07
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
IS NOW COMPULSORY
Every Child in Richmond Between
Eight and Twelve Must
Learn to Read.
OPEN MANY NEW BUILDINGS
Marvellous Growth OF Richmond's Pub.
lie School System in Past Ten Years
Is Reported - Two Junior High
Schools Nearing Completion.

With the opening Of tho Richmond
public schools next week q compul-
sorry education statute will he in op-
Grafton for the first time In the his
tory of the city. Every child In Rich
mond. between tho ages OF eight and
twelve years, of sound mind and body
and unable to read or write must at
tend some school for Mt least twelve
weeks In the school year. nj Toast six
OF which must be consecutive.
This law is expected to swell tho
total enrolment in the city schools
much beyond what ii has ever been
before. Richmond's school populn tion
has just been made to the State Board
OF Education. is 1924. only 2S.lT7 OF
which were enrolled in the schools last
June showing that S.2oG children OF
school age were not attending any
school Many Of these children, under
tho new statute. will bc forced to take
ADVANTAGE OF tho public schools for at
least portion Of the session.
With the operation Of tho COMPULSORY
education statute. tho most important
result of tho city's work along edu-
cational lines. many now schools built
to take care OF the rapidly growing
school population, Will he opened. a
list Of tho now schools Is 8 follows:
Nathaniel Bacon School, comprising
Gated at Twcnty-f1fth and y Streets.
has been completed and will he put
into operation. taking the place of the
old lakewood School, which will he
abandoned, and. later, perhaps sold by
tho city.
Binford Junior High School located
at Floyd Avenue and Vine Streets will
he completed about the first OF next
month. accommodating the first grades
in high school work from the western
district OF the city and children OF the
sixth and seventh grades of the Gle
mentary schools. constituting the over
I flow from those schools.
The new cambridge Junior High
School. located on Cowaraln Avenue.
between Fifteenth and cambridge
Streets, will be completed abSut Oc-
tober 10. the classes for this school
being meanwhile accommodated In the
regular buildings now in use on the
Southside
Bellevue School, located at Twenty
fourth ana Grace Streets, wilt he con-
vcrted into a junior high school for
| the eastern district accomm oda ting the
first grades in high school work and
the surplus or children from the sixth
and seventh grades Of the elementary
schools in that district
The Stoncwall jackson School which
has hitherto been used as regular
district school. will he rcchristened az
the Richmond City Normal School and
used az such. It will accommodate the
usual primary classes.
new Gintcr Park school located
on Chamberlayne Avenue. is now In
course of erection, and anncxes to the
Paramount School. tho Franklin School
the Moore Colorcd School and the
| Maury Colored School are being built.
CHANGES IN NAMES
OF LOCAL. SCHOOLS.
Changes In the names of schools
since last session are:
The new Fulton School. to he erect :
ed on Fulton Hill. will he known ms
the Robert Fulton School.
The Maury Colorcd School Will he
! known as the Dunbar School, In honor
OF the negro poet, Paul Lawrence
Dunbar.
Fulton Coiored School wiz herea fter
ha called the Webster Davis School
after D. Webster Davis, the negro
author and teacher.
The Richmond public schools have
made wonderful progress in the last
ten years. In 1906, there were only
| twenty schools In the city. twelve
white and eight colorcd-now there
are ty-three-twenty- mine for the
white children and fourteen for the
colored.
I Disbursements in 1906 amounted to
s202, s5S.4e, while during the school
year ending in June. 1915, sS7l42O -
was spent AT that time. the school
property was valued at s652. 900; now
it is worth s2.5s9.06l.3?. During those
ten years. Richmond has spent 5000
SS,.G9 on her public schools.