2. THE NUMBER OF FAILURES AND THE YEARS TO GRADUATE

The following table shows how the number of failures are related to the time period required for graduation. The distribution in [Table VIII] shows a range from 1 to 25 failures per pupil, and a time period for graduation ranging from 3 to 6 years. It is evident from this distribution that the increase of time period for graduating is not commensurate with the number of failures for the individual. By far the largest number graduate in four years in spite of their numerous failures. Nearly 70 per cent of the failing graduates require four years or less for graduation. The number who finish in three years is greater than the number who require either five and one-half or six years. The median number of failures per pupil is 4. The pupils with fewer than 4 failures who take more than four years to graduate are not representative of any particular school in this composite, nor are those having 10 or more failures who take less than 5 years to graduate.

TABLE VIII

DISTRIBUTION OF PUPILS GRADUATING, ACCORDING TO THE TOTAL FAILURES EACH AND THE TIME TAKEN TO GRADUATE

NO. OFYEARS TO GRADUATE
FAILURES 3 31/2441/2 5 51/2 6TOTALS
0 Boys2023244128. .. .307
Girls54263803014. .. .504
1 Boys2105972. .. .80
Girls5883135. .. .114
2 Boys2264770. .82
Girls23881181. .113
3 Boys062754. .. .42
Girls115363. .. .64
4 Boys1144081. .55
Girls4657841. .80
5 Boys014123. .. .47
Girls122675. .. .41
6 Boys. .02963. .038
Girls. .12938. .142
7 Boys. .21277. .. .28
Girls. .11345. .. . 23
8 Boys. .01778. .133
Girls. .11697. .033
9 Boys. .06550016
Girls. .17881126
10 Boys. .16460. .17
Girls. .114521. .23
11-15 Boys. .0918110139
Girls. .11125141456
16-20 Boys. .. .2241110
Girls. .. .2522011
21-25 Boys. .. .100102
Girls. .. .014319
Total Boys2546561827633796
Girls6752780135891071140

In reading [Table VIII], we find that 20 boys and 54 girls who have no failures graduate in three years; 2 boys and 5 girls fail once and graduate in 3 years; 10 boys and 8 girls have one failure and graduate in 31/2 years, and so on. The median period is 4 years for those with no failures and it remains at 4 for all who have fewer than 9 failures; but the median time period is not above 5 years for the highest number of failures.