Of the 3,296 pupils for whom records were furnished it appears in round numbers one-fourth are in the retarded class. The numbers for the different grades diverge naturally from this average, but follow the sequence which is generally observed. There is, in other words, an increase in the proportion of retarded pupils as the grades advance which reaches its maximum in the fifth grade, with 39.6 per cent. After this point there is a decline in the proportion. That the advancing retardation in the different grades is due in large measure to the increasing age of the pupils is corroborated by the evidence of the following table relating to the pupils of 10 to 12 years of age: This table shows clearly how the percentage of retardation advances. as the age of the pupils increases. While the information concerning the Providence schools is tabulated by race, as well as sex, age, and grade, it is to be recalled that the figures are not quite comprehensive for the Providence schools and that the distribution of pupils by race among the schools reported may not correspond with the aggregate of the city. For the schools for which information was given the distribution by race is given in the following table: In these schools practically 30 per cent of the children are of native and 70 per cent are of foreign parentage. In these schools the most numerous are the Irish, represented by 45.4 per cent of the whole number. Next in importance are the French Canadians. The group "All others" includes the following individual races: Canadian, other than French (51), Dutch (1), French (20), German (28), Italian, North (13), Italian, South (17), Lithuanian (7), Magyar (1), Norwegian (5), Polish (40), Portuguese (57), Russian (3), Scotch (27), Slovak (2), Swedish (3), and West Indian, other than Cuban (1). PUBLIC AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOL PUPILS COMBINED. The addition to the 25,000 public school pupils of the 3,000 parochial school pupils, distinguished by races, gives a statement concerning 28,556 pupils in Providence schools, and represents probably a very large proportion of the whole number of school children in the city. A combination of these figures is given in the following table: It will be noted that in the foregoing table practically four-tenths of the pupils are of native and six-tenths of foreign origin. The addition of the parochial schools makes the Irish the most numerous race, as they are represented by 13.7 per cent. Next follow the Italians with 12.2 per cent, and the English with 8 per cent. In view of the fact that the records here given for the parochial schools are probably short of the fact, a comparison of the figures of the parochial schools GENERAL TABLES. PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS: GENERAL INVESTIGATION. TABLE 1.-Grade and age-Number of pupils of each age in each grade, by sex. |