Student population at Hogwarts (Long!)

[noa.rensing at att.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 18473

Delurking just long enough to add a new (I think) point to an old 
discussion:

I think if the school-age population had been dwindeling, so that the 
number of students was usually 1000 but Harry's year only had 40, 
then Draco's insult to Ron about Weasley's "having more children than 
they could afford" would not be very effective. Draco might think it 
insulting, but to most of the wizarding population, having large 
families would be commendable.

I also have some trouble with the concept that Hogwarts is the only 
wizarding school in Britain. If it were, more of the grownups would 
know each other, and their families would socialize. Then Ron, at 
least, would know many of the other students. I see three options: he 
had no pre-Hogwarts wizarding friends, he didn't like his pre-
Hogwarts wizarding friends, or his pre-Hogwarts wizarding friends do 
not attend Hogwarts. 

Noa


--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer <pennylin at s...> 
wrote:
> Hi --
> 
> As Steve says, we've discussed this in alot of detail in the past.  
The
> Lexicon site has a good synopsis.  
...
> 
> 
> Penny
> (
....
> 
> Underpopulated in Harry's Year
> 
> Members have speculated that perhaps Harry's year (and even the 
years
> preceding him) is underpopulated due to a low birthrate (or
> babies/children being killed) during the First Voldemort regime.  
One
> member has also put forth a "King Herod" theory (that perhaps 
Voldemort
> killed a number of children or male children about Harry's age if 
there
> was a prophecy that he would be defeated by a young child).
> 

....
> No Viable Wizarding Population if Smaller Student Population
> 
> Some members have extrapolated the wizarding population for the 
United
> Kingdom and Ireland based on the student population numbers, and 
they
> have concluded that a student population of 300 students would not 
yield
> a viable wizarding population.  
....
> It has also been argued that Hogwarts may not be the only wizarding
> school in the United Kingdom and Ireland (despite Rowling's 
statement on
> this topic).  Accordingly, the extrapolated overall wizarding 
population
> numbers would be incorrect if there are other wizarding schools or 
if
> witches and wizards who are not accepted into Hogwarts are home-
schooled
> or apprenticed into trades.
> 
>