The Administration of Consolidated Rural High Schools

Abstract

The American high school developed first in cities and towns where the density of population made it possible for children to stay at home and attend high school just as they had attended the elementary school. The sparseness of the population and the conservatism of the people in rural districts delayed the establishing of high schools in the smaller towns and in the open country until the consolidation of elementary schools had solved the problem of getting together enough children to warrant starting a high school. Now the spread of rural high schools is keeping pace with the consolidation of rural elementary schools and is preceding it in places. In Randolph County, Indiana, it is now possible for every rural child in the whole county to attend a commissioned high school while living at home. Since this county has been so successful in developing secondary education, a report of the conditions obtaining there may be of general interest. Randolph County is in the east central part of Indiana and has twelve civil townships containing from twenty-four to seventyfour square miles each. The county is almost square, and its area is 460 square miles. The surface is slightly rolling, and the land is fertile. Agriculture is the chief industry. There are two small cities and ten smaller towns, seven of which are incorporated. The roads of the county are surfaced with four miles of brick, about five miles of cement, and more than 8oo miles of gravel and crushed limestone. There are approximately 200 miles of dirt road. There are now being constructed one mile of brick road, nine miles of cement road, and forty-five miles of gravel and crushed stone road. These highways usually run on section or half-section lines. The assessed valuation of the townships varies from three to ten millions of dollars, and the tax levy for school purposes ranges from thirty-