Table 7. Comparison of Rural Districts Having a Population 



I iider 1,000 on the Basis of Whether There is Maintained 



Elementary and Secondary Schools.* 



* Ten districts in which a private school existed were excluded. 



small high school. Moreover, these six high school districts had a luuch 

 higher tax rate per $1,000 of equalized valuation. It is noted that the 

 proportion of taxahle property owned by permanent residents was 51.5 

 percent for six districts maintaining no schools, 55.7 percent for the 

 seventy-six districts maintaining only elementary schools, and 63.5 per- 

 cent for the six districts maintaining both elementary and secondary 

 schools, not a difference of great significance in view of the extreme 

 variations among individual districts. 



Of fifty-one districts having a population between 1,000 and 2,500, 

 and in which there were no private schools, twenty-four maintained a 

 high school (Tal)le 8) . The group of high school districts had twenty-six 

 percent more elementary pupils and twenty-eight percent more high 

 school pupils. The expenditures per elementary pupil were approxim- 

 ately the same for both groups of districts. The expenditures per high 

 school pupil, however, were $90 greater for districts maintaining a high 

 school, again indicating the high costs of maintaining a small high school 

 over sending pupils to neighboring districts for secondary education 

 on a standard or contract tuition basis. The twenty-seven non-high 

 school districts had an average of 67.3 percent of property resident com- 

 pared to 57.8 percent for the twenty-four high school districts. Also the 

 former group had a somewhat lower school tax rate. Only nine of the 

 twenty-seven non-high school districts provided public transportation 

 for high school pupils compared to nineteen of the twenty-four high 

 school districts. The average amount, however, was twice as great. 

 There is some evidence here of ability to pay for many districts. 



15 



