Figure 1 is a scatter diagram showing the relation between the total 

 number of resident pupils and expenditures per pupil. The average 

 expenditure is $385 for all 154 districts. The minimal range of expendi- 

 tures exists among districts having more than 350 pupils. Rural districts 

 having few resident pupils vary extremely in expenditures per pupil. 



Three districts which maintain a public high school for fewer than 

 forty resident pupils have extremely high expenditures per high school 

 pupil, an average of $1,055 (Table 2). The average expenditures per 

 pupil decline as the number of pupils increases to the extent that thir- 

 teen districts maintaining a high school for 100 or more pupils have 

 average costs per pupil of $474. or considerably less than one-half of the 

 expenditures for the three districts with fewer than forty pupils. Districts 

 which do not maintain a high school, and appropriate funds for tuition 

 payments to other districts (and in many instances costs of public trans- 

 portation) also experience some decline in expenditures per pupil as the 

 number of pupils increases, but such a decline is much less than for dis- 

 tricts maintaining a small high school. Aside from the economy to be 

 obtained by abandoning small high schools and sending pupils else- 

 where on a tuition basis, there is the all-important objective of equal 

 educational opportunity. Two of the three districts having extremely 

 high costs per high school pupil, however, are at a disadvantage because 

 of remoteness from any other high schools. 



Table 2. Relation of Number of High School Pupils to Expenditures 



per High School Pupil for Districts Maintaining a High School 



and Districts not Maintaining a High School. 



Number of Number Average Average costs 



high school of number of per high 



pupils, ADM districts pupils school pupil 



Maintaining a public high school 



Under 40 3 28.6 $1,055 



40 to 69.9 9 62.1 584 



"0 to 99.9 9 83.9 554 



100 and more 13 117.0 474 



Not maintaining a public high school 



Under 40 73 22.4 $ 477 



40 to 69.9 35 55.4 452 



70 to 99.9 9 80.3 452 



100 and more 3 120.4 418 



Figure 2 offers further evidence of some economies of scale. Costs 

 per pupil decline as the number of pupils increases. It must be recog- 

 nized, however, that the larger high schools offer better educational 

 opportunity at considerable expense. Otherwise, the decline in expendi- 

 tures per pupil would l>e much greater than indicated here. The relation 



