153,973 Pupils Attended Jewish Schools in New York During 1961-62

A total of 153, 973 pupils attended Jewish schools of all types during 1961-62, it was announced today by the Jewish Education Committee here.

This figure marks a new high in Jewish school enrollment, Louis E. Ruffman, JEC associate director, said. However, he noted that children in New York’s suburban areas are getting a less intensive form of Jewish education than their counterparts in the five boroughs.

Among the highlights of Mr. Ruffman’s report are the following facts; 1. Total enrollment showed an increase of 1,767 over the previous year, continuing a constant rate of increase of a little over one percent over the past three years; 2. Enrollment in the five boroughs showed a net decline of 1,231; suburban counties showed an increase of 2,998; 3. The great majority of pupils (84 percent) are in elementary grades. (There are 11 percent in high school grades, and five percent in pre-school classes.)

The report established that all-day schools thrive in the five boroughs, but net in the suburbs. In the five boroughs, all-day schools account for 33 percent of elementary school enrollment and 64 percent of high school enrollment, and for only three percent in suburban schools on both levels. One-day-a-week schools absorb 53 percent in the suburbs and only 16 percent in the five boroughs. Almost twice as many boys as girls are receiving a Jewish education. The largest number of pupils, 43.9 percent, are in Orthodox schools, but this figure applies only to the five boroughs.

“This pattern of Jewish school enrollment,” declared Mr. Ruffman, “follows the one which prevails in the country at large, where the larger proportion of pupils in Jewish schools are to be found attending one-day-a-week schools.”