Student population at Hogwarts (Long!)

[Florence]

No: HPFGUIDX 18484

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer <pennylin at s...> 
wrote:
<snipped - huge dissitation on Hogwarts student population>

Hey, that was great, but it didn't tie in with my long held view on 
this, so here it is:

I don't believe the houses are equally sized.  Some of the quirkier 
English public schools (really top-notch private schools) have house 
systems where the houses are not equally sized.  I've always viewed 
Gryffindor as being one of the smaller houses (no evidence for this 
except for the small numbers in Harry's year).

There must also be huge demographic fluctuations with such a small 
wizarding community so that each year group will have a different 
number of students in it, as well as the sorting arrangement leading 
to different proportions of each year group being in each house each 
year.

When comments like "We've got double Potions with the Slytherins next" 
are made, that does not necessarily mean all the Slytherins.  If the 
school aims for class sizes of approximately 20, and there are 
(approx) 10 Griffindors, 30 Slytherins, 30 Hufflepuffs and 20 or 40 
Ravenclaws, then the Griffindors will share classes with some of the 
Slytherins and some of the Hufflepuffs for some lessons (but never 
Ravenclaw).  For timetabling reasons it would end up being the same 
group of Slytherins they shared with (so Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle 
always show up).  I've always rationalised the 1000 students statement 
this way, but it's always bothered me there aren't enough teachers - 
ahh well!

Florence.