COST OF INSTRUCTION IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. In Table 60 the 225 cities whose expenditures have just been analyzed have been rearranged in the order of the total cost of instruction per pupil in average daily attendance in all day schools. Thus, in Group I Los Angeles ranks first with a per capita of $61.31; Portland, Oreg., second with a per capita of $53.62; and Seattle, third with a unit cost of $52.45. The corresponding average for the whole group is $43.86. Los Angeles spends 1.41, Portland 1.24, and Seattle 1.21 times this average. These points are plotted in figure 42 at the beginning of the continuous heavy black curve. This curve shows whether a city spends a large or small amount as compared with the amount spent by the average city of its class, and whether it spends more or less than its "neighbors." The "middle-half" on this curve has been indicated by the arrow heads at the extreme right of the diagrams. The highest 11 and the lowest 11 cities are outside of the "middle-half" on the total per capita cost for instruction. Corresponding per capita costs and ratios have been computed for elementary, for secondary, and for vocational, normal, and special schools. Only the ratios for elementary and secondary schools have been plotted in the diagrams, since some cities report no expenditures for schools of the latter types. An inspection of the diagrams shows that Los Angeles spends for elementary school instruction 1.20 times as much per pupil as the average city, and for high school instruction 1.65 times as much as the average city spends. It stands slightly above the "middle-half" in elementary school costs, but decidedly above the third quartile in high school costs. Portland stands high in elementary school costs but low in high school costs. Seattle stands just above the third quartile in both counts. Jersey City ranks very high in secondary school costs. As different numbers representing the average daily attendance in the different types of schools have been used in securing the three series of ratios used in the diagram, these groups do not show whether the proportion spent for elementary and for secondary school instruction in the same cities is high or low. Since the continuous heavy black curve includes the cost of instruction in vocational, normal, and special schools, it often does not occupy an intermediate position between those curves representing elementary and secondary school costs. In a similar manner the costs of elementary and secondary school instruction in the other groups of cities have been pictured in figures 43, 44, 45, and 46. It has already been shown that the total cost of instruction per pupil in daily attendance increases, in general, with the population of the cities. It is shown in these five serial diagrams that the same principle holds for both elementary and secondary school costs. The average unit cost of high school instruction in Group I is $92.01; in Group II, $65.84; in Group III, $62.09; in Group IV, $56.59; and in Group V, $55.06. Considerable difference prevails between these costs in very small and in very large cities. Elementary school costs for instruction in Group I average $36.98; in Group II, $31.50; in Group III, $29.92; in Group IV, $26.48; and in Group V, $23.54. In the chapter on public high schools it is shown that the relationship between elementary and secondary school costs for operation, maintenance, auxiliary agencies, and fixed charges is about the same as that existing between such costs for instruction only. In other words, if it costs twice as much per year to provide instruction for a secondary as for an elementary school pupil, the total annual cost of high school education will also be about double that provided in the elementary schools. If this deduction applies to city schools as well as to all schools combined, the relative unit of cost of elementary and secondary education in city schools can be readily determined. Thus, in Group I the annual cost of high school education per student is 2.48 ($92.01 divided by $36.98) times the cost of elementary school education. In Group II the corresponding ratio is 2.09; in Group III, 2.08; in Group IV, 2.14; and in Group V, 2.34. From these percentages it is seen that high school education costs, approximately, from two to two and one-half times as much as elementary school education. The corresponding ratio for an equal number of days schooling for the whole country-urban and rural schools combined—is 2.40, as shown in chapter on public high schools. Above it has been pointed out that for the cities in Group I the amount spent for instruction is 75 per cent of the total current expenses. Applying this percentage to the average costs shown in figure 42 ($92.01 and $36.98), it is found that the total annual cost per pupil in high schools in the largest cities is $122.68 and in elementary schools is $49.31. Applying in a like manner the percentage 69.2, 69.7, 65.9, and 65.5 to the average costs for Groups II, III, IV, and V shown in Table 58, the corresponding costs for Group II are estimated to be $95.14 and $45.52; for Group III, $89.08 and $42.93; for Group IV, $85.87 and $40.18; and for Group V, $84.06 and $35.94, respectively. It should be remembered that these considerations do not take into account any expeditures for new buildings, grounds, or new equipment. |