The number of children of school age in Hall County has been increasing steadily during the past decade. The same condition applies to school children in the city of Grand Island. But the school population in the rural districts, or outside Grand Island, has been growing less during the past ten years.

This astonishing fact was shown when the school census taken in each rural school distict was compiled in the office of county superintendent in 1919. A comparison of the census facts of this year with 1918 discovers that there were 147 children fewer in the rural districts this year than in 1918. In fact there are fewer school children now than ten years ago in the rural districts.

Reasons for this state of affairs are difficult to find. Some explanations have been offered, but naturally they are only guesses. One is that many

farmers have been moving to Grand Island in order to take advantage of better school facilities permitted there. Another suggestion is that the birth rate has been lower, large families not being so customary as in former years.

The total number of children of school age -that is, between five and twenty-one, in the county outside of Grand Island, as shown by the 1919 census is 3,058. In 1918 there were 3.205 children of school age in the rural districts. Ten years ago, or in 1909, there were 3,188 children in the same school districts.

The following table shows changes in school population. The first column shows the year, the second column shows the total school population, the third column shows the city school population and the last column the school children in the rural districts.

A comparison also was made by THE INDEPENDENT of the changes in school population in other towns in the county than Grand Island. The result showed Wood River had more school children than ten years ago. Alda had fewer school children this year than in 1909. The same is true with Donipan. Cairo has more this year than in 1909, though fewer than in any of the five years previous to 1919. During the entire eleven years,

1909 to 1919 inclusive, the banner year according to school population was 1912 for Wood River, 1909 for Alda, 1916 for Doniphan and 1916 for Cairo.

The following table shows the changes in school population in these towns since 1909: