Number of Students at Hogwarts

[Edis]

No: HPFGUIDX 69036

Lots of different points on the continuing 'numbers' question...

Quick thoughts:

1 In OOP Seamus talks about moving to another dorm to be away from 
Harry so its possible for people of the same year to be in different 
dorms at some stage... which throws an extra variable into 
calculations of overall numbers based on 'numbers in a year all in 
the same dorm...'

2 The OWL exam room has 'more than a hundred' individual tables. JKR 
is fond of the advanced innumerate handwaving of 'more than a large 
number'... but lets take this as a reasonable impression from Harrys 
POV. If the OWL exam room is set up to take (most of) the students 
from an entire year at one time then for one seventh 0f 1000 students 
there would need to be 140 or so tables present which is stretching 
it a bit as 'more than 100' but not implausible. If only set up 
for 'most' students in that year at one time its more plausible.

So 140 entrants at one time ... implying 35 per house. One standard 
class size per house. 

No it doesnt fit the dramatic narratives. But then the wizarding 
world has lots of Canon examples of squeezing in where muggle 
standards say 'no fit' ... the phone box outside the MOM for example, 
or the Room of Requirement... 

Bottom line: JKR didnt do arithmancy either. But 1000 isnt impossible.

BUT:
3 If a significant number of students leave after OWLS because they 
havent the grades to make NEWTS and there are still 1000 students 
overall then this implies that the junior years are even bigger....

Edis