EDUCATION. Nebraska bears the distinction of having the lowest proportion of illiteracy in the United States (2.3 in 1900). In 1909 the State had 6813 public schools (465 graded), with 9629 teachers, of whom 1862 were males. The school population (five to twenty-one years of age) amounted, in 1902, to 375,340, the enroll ment to 290,543. and the average daily attendance to 185,755. The average length of the school term in the same year was 138 days. The average monthly salary for male teachers in creased from $39.24 in 1871 to $49.15 in 1902; of female teachers, from $36.64 to $33.51. The expenditures on education in 1902 amounted to $4,435.33S, or about. $93.90 per pupil in aver age attendance. It is reported that only about 5.5 per cent. of the teachers of the State are graduates of a college or a university, about 40 per cent. have a high-school education or its equivalent, 29 per cent. are without high-school
training, and less than 16 per cent. have any professional training. To improve the pro fessional standing of the teachers, a number of union normal institutes have been organized, giving a four weeks' summer course for teachers. The only normal school of the State (at Peru) has an attendance of about 400.
In 1900 there were in the State for purposes of secondary education 250 public high schools, with 15,208 secondary scholars. and 19 private high schools and academies, with 684 students. The chief institutions for higher education are the University of Nebraska (q.v.), at Lincoln; the University of Omaha (Presbyterian), at Bellevue ; Cotner University ( Christ ia n ) , at Bethany ; Doane College IC'ongregational), at Crete; Nebraska Wesleyan University (Metho dist Episcopal), at University Place.