Texas Almanac, 1945-1946 Page: 363

                                
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Students Union with Administration- Library Building in background, University of Texas, Austin.

cational institutions in Texas. the missions,
maintains an extensive educational system
today. St. Edward's University of Austin and
St. Mary's University of San Antonio are two
of their leading institutions. Rice Institute
of Heuston. founded and endowed by William
M. Rice, is the leading privately endowed
institution of Texas today. On another page
is a list of state, church and privately en-
dowed institutions of higher education.
PUBLIC SCHOOL REGISTRATION
The total net number of students who at-
tended public schools, including elementary
and high schools of Texas, during the 1943-44
session was 1,043,438. Distribution by grades
was as follows:
Elementary  School.-Klndergarten, 4,038;
first. 146,672; second, 107,995; third, 101,055;
fourth, 83.002; fifth, 88.660; sixth, 89,331;
seventh, 87,227; eighth. 76,005; special, 880.
Total elementary. 784.865.
High School.-First year, 79,019; second
year, 68,820; third year, 57,556; fourth year,
49.320; postgraduates. 281; special, 3,577. To-
tal high school, 258.573. Grand total elemen-
tary and high school, 1,043,438.
EQUALIZATION FUND
Expenditures from   the equalization fund
(rural aid) for the fiscal year 1943-44 amount-
ed to $8,560.814, of which $5,028,393 went for
salaries, $2,962,276 for transportation (opera-
tion of school buses) and $570.145 for tuition.
In the preceding school year, 1942-43 total

expenditures from the equalization fund were
$7,041.558, of which $3,687.841 was for sala-
ries, $2,610,029 for transportation and $743,688
for tuition.
FREE TEXTBOOKS
Expenditures for free textbooks during the
school year, 1943-44, amounted to $1,842,-
861.55. Expenditures for the preceding school
year 1942-43, totaled $1,818,728.97. Free text-
books have been furnished the children in
Texas public schools since 1918 when Sec. 3,
Art. VII of the State Constitution was amend-
ed, raising the ad valorem school tax maxi-
mum from 20c on the $100 of valuation to
35c and providing for textbook purchases.
SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION
Number of buses in operation for transpor-
tation of school children during the year,
1943-44, was 6.143. according to the State De-
partment of Education. Total children trans-
ported were 334.490. of whom 304.247 were
white and 30,243 were colored. Total bus-
miles traveled were 56,250,708. Total cost
was reported as $10,391.685, though the de-
partment noted that there was probably some
duplication between common and independ-
ent districts.
NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOLS
There were in the school year, 1943-44, in
Texas 1,246 accredited four-year high schools.
There were eighty-six accredited two-year
high  schools and   forty-four junior high
schools.

ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT    CULLUM X  & BOREN CO.
FOR                  SPORTING GOODS
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES        1509-11 ELM ST., DALLAS