The Relative Enrollment of Negroes in the Common Schools in the United States

Abstract

In the United States, the scope of the common school has been broadened to comprise schools from the elementary school through the high school. The broadening of the scope to include the high school had its beginnings in isolated sections of the country even as early as the colonial period; however, it was not until the latter half of the nineteenth century that the broadened scope began to receive National acceptance. Since that time, the United States has witnessed significant increases in the availability of high school education for its population of high school age. Some appreciation for the increases which have occurred may be gained from the data which are presented in Table I. From Table I, it may be observed that the ratio of public high school enrollment to the number of pupils who ranged from fourteen to seventeen years old increased from .04 in 1890, to .68 in 1940. The ratio for 1950 is identical to the ratio for 1940. If the enrollments in nonpublic high schools were combined with the enrollments in public high schools, obviously, there would be an increase in the ratio for each decennial. For 1940 and 1950, the ratios would become .731 and .762, respectively. Thus,