ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

MINISTER OF EDUCATION (ONTARIO.)

FOR THE YEAR 1878, RESPECTING THE

PUBLIC, SEPARATE AND HIGH SCHOOLS,

ALSO,

THE NORMAL AND MODEL SCHOOLS.

PART I. GENERAL REPORT.

To His Honour the Honourable D. A. Macdonald, Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Ontario.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOUR,

I herewith present the Report of the Education Department on the condition of the Public, Separate, and High Schools, also of the Normal and Model Schools of the Province of Ontario, for the year 1878.

I will now proceed to give a Summary view of their condition, condensed from the Statistical Tables accompanying this Report:

I-TABLE A.-RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE OF PUBLIC SCHOOL MONEYS.

The Receipts.

1. The amount apportioned from the Legislative Grant was $258,538-increase, $6,576. The apportionment is made to the several Counties, Townships, Cities, Towns, and Incorporated Villages, according to the ratio of the population in each, as compared with the whole population of the Province. The principle of distribution is according to the average attendance and the time of keeping open the Schools, Public and Separate, in each Municipality.

2. The amount apportioned from the Legislative grant (through the Educational Depository) for the purchase of maps, apparatus, prize and library books was $15,756— decrease, $2,347.

3. The amount from County Municipal Assessment was $872,354, showing an increase of $14,049.

4. The amount available from Trustees' School Assessment was $1,405,686-decrease, $158,439.

5. The amount from Clergy Reserves Moneys, and from other sources, applied to School purposes in 1878, was $694,984-decrease, $35,702.

6. The Total Receipts for all Public School purposes for the year 1878, amounted to $3,247,321, showing a decrease of $175,863 over the total receipts of the preceding year.

7. The following table shows the progressive increase in the amounts levied by the Municipal and School Trustee Corporations, and also the yearly increase in the total receipts since 1860.

1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877

$

1878

278693 278035 274471 287768 304382) 308092 319154 351873, 362375 372743 385284 492481 531391 601351 606538 758467 793161 858305 872354

sessment. 556682 587297 620268 631755 659380) 711197 760366 799708 855538 890834 951099 1027184 1232101 1439390 1599437 1547125 1553574 1564126 1405686

488897 515897 501384 513362 520425 525711 528451 591879 571419 563849 607981 604806 766778 926624 1024296 1059862 1046920 1000754 969281

Total Receipts. 1324272 1381279 1396123 1432885 1484187 1545000 1607971 1743460 1789332 1827426 1944364 2124471 2530270 2967365 3239271 3365454 3393655 3423185 3247321

14452 57006 14843 36762 51301 60813 62970 62364 118997 38093 116938 18010 405799 437094 271906 126182| 28201 29529

The Expenditure.

1. The amount paid by trustees for salaries of teachers in 1878 was $2,011,207,-decrease $26,891.

2. For maps, globes, prize books and libraries, $42,507, decrease, $5,032. The Legislative aid given to trustees (through the Educational Depository) for these objects was, $15,756.

3. For sites and building of School-houses, $413,392-decrease, $64,000. For several years after the pas age of the School Act of 1871, a large amount was yearly expended in the erection of new school-houses, so that the country is now tolerably well supplied with them. A decrease of this item may therefore be expected for some years to come. 4. For rent and repairs of School-houses, &c., $422 239-decrease $88,218.

5. Total expenditure for all Public School purposes, $2,889,347-decrease, $184,142. 6. Balance of School Moneys not paid at the end of the year when the returns were made, $357,974-increase, $8,278.

II.—TABLE B.-SCHOOL POPULATION, AGES OF PUPILS, PUPILS ATTENDIng Public SCHOOLS, AVERAGE ATTENDANCE.

The Statute requires that the trustees' returns of School population shall include the entire number of children resident in their School Division; and it confers the equal right of attending the Schools upon all residents in such divisions, between the ages of five and twenty-one years.

1. The School population (comprising only children between the ages of five and sixteen years) reported by trustees was 492,360-decrease, 2,444.

2. The number of pupils between the ages of five and sixteen years attending the Schools, was 467,433-decrease, 1,808. Number of pupils of other ages attending the Schools, 21,582-decrease, 37. Total number of pupils attending the Schools, 489,015 -decrease, 1845.

3. The number of boys attending the Schools, 260,400-decrease, 670. The number of girls attending the Schools, 228,615-decrease, 1,175.

4. The number reported as not attending any School for four months during the year, is 27,415-increase, 1,441. These were between the ages of seven and twelve years, during which School Boards and Trustees are required by the Public Schools Act to see that all the children in their School districts attend School for four months in the year. 5. The average attendance, viz., the aggregate daily attendance divided by the legal number of teaching days in the year, was 224,588-increase, 7,404.

III. TABLE C.-NUMBER OF PUPILS IN THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF INSTRUCTION. This Table shows the number of pupils as classified under the new system.

IV. --TABLE D.-RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS, CERTIFICATES, ANNUAL SALARIES OF

TEACHERS.

1. Number of Teachers, Male and Female.-In the 4,990 schools reported, 6,473 teachers have been employed-increase, 5; of whom 3,060 are male teachers-increase, 40; and 3,413 are female teachers-decrease, 35. It will thus be seen that there are about 400 more female than male teachers.

2. Religious Persuasions of Teachers. Under this head there is little variation. The teachers are reported to be of the following persuasions:-Church of England, 949— decrease, 23; Roman Catholic, 789-decrease, 23; Presbyterians, 2,042-increase, 20; Methodists, 2052-increase, 47; Baptists, 337-decrease 11; Congregationalists, 106increase, 9; Lutherans, 20; Quakers, 17; Christians and Disciples, 49; reported as Protestants, 65; Plymouth Brethren, 2; Unitarians, 5; other persuasions, 40.

Of 789 teachers of the Roman Catholic Church 456 are employed in the Public Schools, and 333 are teachers of R. C. Separate Schools.

3. Teachers' Certificates.—Total number of certificated or licensed teachers reported, 6,473-increase, 5; Provincial Certificates, 1st class, 210-decrease, 40; 2nd class, 1,409

-increase, 105; County Board Certificates of the Old Standard, 1st class, 328-decrease, 43; 2nd class, 142-increase, 8; 3rd class, none-decrease 14; New County Board, 3rd class Certificates, 3,904-decrease, 22; Interim Certificates, 480-increase, 11.

4. Annual Salaries of Teachers.-The highest salary paid to a male teacher in a County, $800-the lowest, $125; in a City, the highest, $1,000-the lowest, $500; in a Town, the highest, $1.200-the lowest, $200. The average salary of male teachers in Counties, was $382-of female teachers, $247; in Cities, of male teachers, $730, of female teachers, $313; in Towns, of male teachers, $577-of female teachers, $274. The average decrease of male teachers' salaries for the Province during 1878, is $3 per male teacher.

V.-TABLE E.-SCHOOL BOARDS AND RURAL SCHOOL CORPORATIONS.

1. The number of Urban School Boards was as follows:-In Cities 16; in Towns, 83; in Incorporated Villages, 125, being a total of 224.

2. The number of Urban School-houses was as follows: In Cities, 116; in Towns, 174; in Incorporated Villages, 175.

3. The total number of pupils in Urban Schools registered during the year was, in Cities, 43,754; in Towns, 49,041; in Incorporated Villages, 41,507; and the average daily attendance was, in Cities, 24,920; in Towns, 26,890; in Incorporated Villages, 19,608.

4. The number of Township School Boards was 4, that is to say, in the following Townships-Enniskillen, Tuckersmith, Macaulay and Morrison.

5. The number of Rural School Sections was, 4,751-decrease, 165. The number of Rural Schools reported as kept open, was 4,700-decrease, 137.

6. The decrease in number of Rural School-houses was 82. Of late years there has been a most satisfactory improvement in the School-houses, and in stone, brick, and frame taking the place of the old log-built School-houses.

7. The whole number of School-houses reported is 5,066, of which 1,569 are brick, 511 stone, 2,281 frame, 705 log.

8. Titles to School Sites.-Freehold, 4,902-decrease, 25; Rented, 164—decrease, 57. 9. School Visits.-By Inspectors, 12,745-increase, 353; by Clergymen, 8,042-increase 165; by Municipal Councillors and Magistrates, 2,076-decrease, 267; by Judges and Members of Parliament, 270-decrease, 82; by Trustees, 21,597-decrease, 322; by other persons, 55,522-increase, 1,373. Total School visits 100,252-increase, 1,220. Trustees especially are bound to show zeal and interest in Public School Education and by personal visits to the schools, and counsel to parents, incite them to educate their children.

10. School Lectures.-By Inspectors, 529-decrease, 128; by other persons, 320increase, 88.

11. Time of Keeping the Schools open.--The average time of keeping the Schools open, exclusive of holidays, vacations and Sundays, was two hundred and six days in 1878. The actual number of legal teaching days was 221.

12. Public School Examinations.-The whole number of Public School Examinations was 9,949-decrease, 931; though less than two for each School. The law requires that there should be in each School a public quarterly examination, of which the teacher should give notice to trustees and parents of pupils, and to the school visitors (clergymen, magistrates, &c.,) resident in the School Section. Such examinations being tests of efficiency on the part of teachers, and of progress on the part of pupils, cannot fail to produce beneficial effects on Public Schools.

13. School Prizes and Merit Cards.-The number of Schools in which prizes are reported as having been distributed to reward and encourage meritorious pupils is 1,663— decrease, 65.

14. Prayers and Ten Commandments. Of the 4,990 Schools reported, the daily exercises were opened and closed with prayers in 4,288 of them-increase, 7; and the Ten Commandments were taught in 2,828-decrease, 143. While the Public Schools Act provides that "No person shall require any pupil in any Public School to read or study from any religious book, or to join in any exercise of devotion or religion, objected to by

his or her parent," the Department has framed regulations of a recommendatory nature on the subject, with forms of prayers, in the earnest hope that School Boards, Trustees and Teachers may thus be better enabled to impress upon their pupils the principles and duties of our common Christianity. In 4,288, out of 4,990 Schools, religious exercises of the kind recommended by the Department are voluntarily conducted.

15. Maps.-Maps are used in 4,670 Schools-increase, 4. Total number of maps used in Schools, 38,995-increase, 1,502.

VI. TABLE F.-ROMAN CATHOLIC SEPARATE SCHOOLS.

1. The number of Roman Catholic Separate Schools is 177-decrease during the year, 9.

2. Receipts. The amount apportioned and paid by the Department of Education from the Legislative Grant to Separate Schools according to average attendance of pupils as compared with that at the Public Schools in the same Municipalities, was $12,620-increase, 244. The amount apportioned and paid for the purchase of maps, prize books and libraries, upon the usual condition of an equal sum being provided from local sources, was $788-decrease, $442. The amount of School rates from the supporters of Separate Schools, was $79,120-increase, $6,942. The amount subscribed by supporters of Separate Schools, and from other sources, was $35,019-increase, $537. Total amount received from all sources was $127,549-increase, $7,282.

3. Expenditure.-For payment of teachers, $70,301-increase, $100; for maps, prize books and libraries, $1,914-decrease, $896; for sites and building chool Houses, $25,864; for other School purposes, $22,479.

4. Pupils. The number of pupils reported as attending the Separate Schools was 25,280 increase, 328. Average attendance, 13,172-increase, 623.

5. The whole number of teachers employed in the Separate Schools was 333-decrease,

1; male teachers, 104-decrease, 1; female teachers, 229.

6. The same table shows the branches taught in the Separate Schools, and the number of pupils in each branch; also the number of schools using maps, &c.

VII. TABLE G.-HIGH SCHOOLS, RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE, PUPILS, NUMBEB

OF SCHOOLS.

Receipts. The balances reported from the preceding year (that is, of moneys not paid out by the 31st December, 1878), were $13,810-decrease, $2,856. The amount received by the High School Boards from Legislative grant for the salaries of teachers, wis $77,106-increase, $1,947. The amount of Legislative grant apportioned for maps, prize books, etc., was $1,796-increase, $233. The amount of Municipal Grants in support of High Schools was $202,848-increase, $44,054. The amount received for pupils' fees was $21,581-increase, $828. Balances of the preceding year and other sources, $103,045-increase, $18,460. Total receipts, $420,188-increase, $62,667.

Expenditure.-For salaries of masters and teachers, $223,010—increase, $11,402; for building, rent and repairs, $83,968-increase, $32,551; for fuel, books and contingencies, $83,904 increase, $7,606; for maps, prize books, apparatus and libraries, $5,126-increase, $739. Total expenditure for the year 1878, $396,010-increase, $52,300. Balance of moneys, not paid out at the end of the year, $24,178-increase, $10,367. Number of Pupils, 10,574-increase, 1,345.

Number of Schools, 104.

VIII. TABLE H.-HIGH SCHOOLS, NUMBER OF PUPILS IN THE VARIOUS BRANCHES, MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.-HEAD MASTERS AND THEIR UNIVERSITIES.

Table H shows both the subjects taught and the number of pupils in each subject in each of the High Schools, the names, university degree (or certificate) of the Head Master, and the number of masters employed in each School, &c.

No. of Pupils.-In English Grammar and Literature, 10,486; in Composition 9,844; in Reading, Dictation and Elocution, 10,184; in Penmanship, 7,683; in Linear Drawing, 2,881; in Book-keeping, 4,011; in Arithmetic, 10,450; in Algebra, 10,212; in Geometry,