ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT. OFFICE SUPERINTENDENT PUBLIC SCHOOLS,} ST. LOUIS, August 1, 1870. To the Board of President and Directors of the St. Louis Public Schools. GENTLEMEN-I have the honor to submit here with the Annual Report of the schools under your charge, in accordance with the rule prescribed. Evidences of continued and increasing prosperity will be found in the statistics herewith presented. That the schools are improving in efficiency is due in part to your own administrative labors, and also largely to the vigorous support given by the community to your efforts. In order to give in as clear a manner as possible a succinct view of the workings of the system during the past year, I shall bring together in the introduction to my report, such general and comparative statistics as show results and tendencies, leaving for the report in detail, the full tabular statements and the special reports which relate to the different departments. I do not consider a report complete in any sense which does not give, besides the facts and figures, an account also of the aims and purposes of those who direct or manage the system. Without this it is impossible to read the lessons contained in the statistics presented. So far as possible therefore the meaning of the facts and figures should be sought out and discussed in the light of the ideas which lie at the basis of the public school system. GENERAL STATISTICS. POPULATION OF THE CITY. Population of the city October 1, 1870 (according to the census). 310,864 96,312 62,592 The accompanying table (Table I., page LXVI, Appendix,) embraces a list of the school houses occupied by the schools under the charge of the Board at the close of the year. The increase for the past six years may be seen by the following table: Lafayette Branch (rented).. Maramec (transferred from St. Louis Township) 540 Seats 120 125 200 แ 250 200 The following schools have been commenced and will be ready for opening in the first part of the next scholastic year (September 1870): buildings will supply the places of several now occupied, some being rented ones and some old and unfit for use, as follows: Total 47 rooms accommodating about 1800 pupils, thus leaving a surplus of 2700 seats, net addition, to the present number. The important item however does not appear in the above figures. It is the saving of expense in tuition, and at the same time the furnishing of better accommodations. Rented buildings for the most part are not constructed so as to be adapted for school purposes. Generally the rooms are too small; the windows not of sufficient size, or properly placed; the yards insufficient. The consequences are that ill-ventilation prevails; children are in constant danger of injuring their eyesight on dark or cloudy days. They cannot take the proper recreation at recess, having no room to play in. Besides these considerations, which are of paramount importance, inasmuch as the bodily health of growing children depends upon them - there is still an economical phase that must be mentioned. In such houses as the Board can rent for the purposes of opening branch schools, the number of pupils that can safely be placed under one teacher is generally about 35 or 40, in the primary grades. Now, in the new buildings erected by the Board, 60 to 70 |