Number of Students at Hogwarts

[bibphile]

No: HPFGUIDX 76813

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "angelberri56" 
<pokeypokey at c...> wrote:
> I'm just shooting off theories and questions left and right, and I 
> apologize, but I keep thinking of more. I hope no one finds my 
> posts annoying!.....
> 
> Anyway... I might be mistaken, but I heard tell of an interview 
with 
> JKR in which she said that Hogwarts had about 2,000 or so 
> students. 

I've been told (several times) that JKR said there were 100 students.

The information we're given in the books is very inconsitent.  For 
example at one quidditch game we're told there are 800 people in the 
stands.  Yet as you said, there appears to be 8-12 students per year 
per house.  That would be 224-336 students.  In PS it said there 
were 100 turkeys at dinner, but most of the students had gone home.  
How many people does it take to eat 100 turkeys?  It could be 
exageration, but it's still a lot of food with most of the school 
home for the holidays.

I tend to go with the low number, both because we see classes more 
and because of the number of teachers.

Sprout seems to be the only Herbology teacher. Assuming all classes 
were the size of Harry's, she would have to teach 35-36 diffeent 
herbology classes just to handle the first through fifth years. Plus 
one 6th and one 7th year class. Even if each class only meet once a 
week 38 classes is alot. How many times does Harry attend Herbology 
a week anyway?

The same goes for Potions. Not to mention Transfiguration and DADA, 
where it seems that only one house is taught at a time.

You can take your pick though because the low number doesn't work 
with the quidditch stands.

bibphile