Student Numbers

[Alix Petty]

No: HPFGUIDX 3903


----- Original Message -----
From: Joywitch <joym999 at aol.com>
To: <HPforGrownups at egroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2000 8:09 PM
Subject: [HPforGrownups] Re: Scholastic chat/ what did we learn from this?


> > Well let's see, there are 7 years. So about 140 students in each
> year.
> > If there are 7 classes in each year about 20 students per class.
>
> No, there are 4 classes in each year, for each of the 4 houses.  35
> students per class.  1000 divided by 7 divided by 4 = 35

I was also thinking that maybe the number of children in each year could
vary - after all, it's not as if you apply for one of a limited number of
places and since entrance is via the magical book that JKR talked about,
where all the witches and wizards are noted when they are born, presumably
regardless of how many there are, they all get offered a place.  So if it is
a year with a high birthrate, the number of magic children born could raise
proportionally, with the converse being true also - also perhaps there are
years where regardless of what the general birthrate is like, there is a
peak or a trough in the amount of magic children born caused by other
factors, ie, during the years when Voldemort was about, perhaps the
birthrate dropped because having a child seemed more fraught with dangers
(although that doesn't seem to have bothered the Weasleys or the Potters*g*)
while there might have been a baby boom after Voldemort's fall.  So a 'good'
wizarding birthrate year there might be as many as say 200 children offered
places at Hogwarts, whereas in years where the magic birthrate is low it
could maybe more like 50 or 60.  Considering that Harry was born when
Voldemort was at the height of his power, it could be likely that his year
was one of those when there was a 'drought' of magical children, hence the
low numbers.  Plus, we have no idea of how many people are in the other
houses - it might have been a year low on Gryffindors, but a bumper year for
Ravenclaws.

Alix