The following table will show the progress of public and private high schools since 1890:

Public and private high schools since 1889–90.

The above table shows the remarkable growth of public high schools in the last seventeen years. In 1890 there were 2,526 public high schools, with 202,963 students, while in 1907 the number of schools had increased to 8,804, with 751,081 students. The number of private high schools increased up to 1895. Since that date there has been a decrease, the number reporting in 1907 being 1,434, with 97,110 students. The number of these private schools is now less than in 1890, although the number of students is considerably greater. The relative progress of public and private high schools since 1890 may be learned from the following table:

Relative progress of public and private high schools in 17 years.

It is seen from the above table that in 1890 about 68.13 per cent

of the secondary students were in the public high schools, and in 1907 over 88 per cent.

For the first time this Bureau attempted in 1907 to obtain the enrollment in public and private high schools by years or grades. The result was that 7,624 of the public high schools and 946 of the private high schools gave the number of students in each year. Following is a synopsis of the number of boys and girls in each year of both classes of schools:

Public and private high school students classified by year of course and sex.
Third year. Fourth year.

In the synopsis given below it is shown that in the public high schools 43.27 per cent of the enrollment was in the first year, 27.30 per cent in the second year, 17.75 per cent in the third year, and 11.68 per cent in the fourth year. In the private high schools the distribution is in a different proportion. In the first year the enrollment was 33.06 per cent, in the second year 26.54 per cent, in the third year 22.36 per cent, and in the fourth year 18.04 per cent. These comparisons and the percentages for public and private high school enrollment separately and combined will be found in the following synopsis:

Number and per cent of students in each year of high school course.

Public high schools.... 7,624 667,305 288,748
Private high schools...

Total.

For several years this Bureau has estimated the proportion of secondary students in each of the four years as 43 per cent in the first year, 26 per cent in the second year, 18 per cent in the third year, and 13 per cent in the fourth year. This estimate was based upon the enrollment of secondary students by grades in the high schools of a number of cities.

The more important items of public high school statistics are sum

Table 113 shows that there were 32,774 teachers of secondary students in the 8,804 public high schools in 1906-7. This force included 15,122 men and 17,652 women. Of the 751,081 secondary students, 317,120 were boys and 433,961 girls. There was an increase of 11,812 in the number of boys and 16,577 in the number of girls in these schools over the preceding year. In the elementary grades connected with the high schools there were 141,525 pupils.

Table 114 shows that 31,950 students were preparing for the college classical course and 40,078 for college scientific courses. The number of graduates for the year ending June, 1907, was 87,385-an increase of 1,936 over the preceding year. Of the total number of graduates, 28,185 were college preparatory students—an increase of 2,123.

Of the 751,081 public high school students, the boys comprised 42.22 per cent and the girls 57.78 per cent. Of the total, 11.63 per cent graduated in 1907. Of the graduating classes, 32.25 per cent had prepared for college. These percentages are given in Table 115. The statistics of public high schools in cities of 8,000 population and over are compared with statistics for public high schools outside of such cities in Tables 116, 117, and 118. In the cities named there were 860 schools with 359,624 students, while the remaining 7,944 high schools outside of such cities had 391,457 students.

Table 119 gives the enrollment by sex in each year of the course for 7,624 high schools reporting this item, while Table 120 gives the total enrollment of these schools in each year of the course, and shows the percentage in each year to the aggregate enrollment for the 7,624 schools. As these statistics are given by grand divisions and by States, they present a new and important subject for study.

Table 121 is an exhibit of the equipment and income of public high schools in each State, so far as the information could be obtained. In most cases the accounts of high schools are not separated from the accounts of public school systems, and for this reason no satisfactory aggregate can be obtained or estimated as to the income of all the public high schools.

Of the 8,804 public high schools, 8,154 reported libraries aggregating 4,936,768 volumes, and 8,106 had grounds and buildings aggregating $210,763,094 in value. Only 1,913 schools reported receipts from public appropriations, amounting to $8,646,577.

III.-PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIES.

The statistics of private high schools, academies, and seminaries are summarized in Tables 122 to 129. Tables 122 to 126, inclusive, are similar to Tables 113 to 117, relating to public high schools, and may be compared with those tables. Tables 121 and 129 may also be compared. Comparisons of certain averages computed for public and private high schools are made in Table 130.

The number of private high schools reporting to this Office for 1906-7 was 1,434. These schools had 8,956 teachers of secondary students and 97,110 secondary students-47,804 boys and 49,306 girls. Of the secondary students, 24,445 were preparing for college10,692 for the classical course and 13,753 for scientific courses. There were 11,790 graduates in 1907, of whom 4,910 had prepared for college.

Table 124 shows that the percentage of boys was 49.23 in the total enrollment of 97,110 in the private high schools. Of the total, 12.14 per cent graduated, and of the graduating classes 41.65 per cent had prepared for college.

Tables 125 and 126 show the enrollment by grades in 946 of the private high schools, and may be compared with Tables 119 and 120 for the public high schools.

Tables 127 and 128 show that religious denominations control 793 of the 1,434 schools.

Table 129 shows the value of equipment, income, benefactions, endowments, etc., of private high schools, academies, and seminaries. The number of volumes in the libraries of 1,270 schools was 2,198,539. The value of grounds and buildings owned by 1,119 schools aggregated $75,849,936. Tuition fees amounting to $5,168,276 were received by 712 schools.

IV. ADDITIONAL TABLES OF SECONDARY EDUCATION.

Table 130 comprises certain items in the statistics of public and private high schools.

Table 131 shows enrollment in schools for boys only, schools for girls only, and in coeducational schools, public and private.

Tables 132 and 133 show the distribution of secondary students in all classes of institutions in all the States. A synopsis of these tables is given on the first page of this chapter.

Table 134 shows the number of secondary students to each 1,000 population in each State as compared with the total number in higher education in each State.

C.- -HIGH SCHOOL STUDIES.

In most of the State school systems the public schools are divided according to a well-devised scheme of studies into twelve grades. The first eight are known as the elementary grades, and the grades from nine to twelve, inclusive, are the secondary or high school grades. In one or two States all above the sixth grade are known as secondary grades, but generally the secondary school is the high school. The grades in private schools correspond very closely to the grades of the

academies, and seminaries, and college preparatory schools maintain practically the same grades. The table which follows gives in condensed form the four courses of study recommended by the committee of ten on secondary school studies to the National Educational Association in 1893. The figure "1" indicates that the study is to be pursued a whole year, and the "" limits the study to half a year. The notes explain the provisions for optional studies.

Secondary school studies recommended by the committee of ten (1893), showing time devoted to each study.

Beginning with 1890 and ending with 1906, this Bureau collected from public and private high schools certain statistics relating to studies pursued. Principals were asked to give the number of secondary students pursuing each of the leading high school studies. The result of such investigation was tabulated from year to year and carefully summarized. The percentage of students in each study was ascertained for each year, and when given in comparative tables presents a most interesting study. For example, in 1890 it was found that 34.69 per cent of the public high school students studied Latin. In 1895 the percentago had risen to 43.97 per cent, and in 1900 to 50.61 per cent. In 1906 the percentage was 50.24. For eight years this percentage has been above 50, but less than 51.

The three tables which follow present comparative percentages for the leading high school studies for each year from 1890 to 1906-first for public high schools, second for private high schools, and third for the two classes combined.