Primary Schools and Population in Bulgaria

Distribution of Schools

The statistical tables for the school year 1903-1904 show that almost all schools of the different nationalities in Bulgaria were mixed schools, including those of the Mahommedans and Tartars.

Of all the schools in Bulgaria, 75.27% were Bulgarian—this includes national, private, Protestant, Catholic, and Mahommedan schools. The remaining 24.73% belonged to other nationalities, such as Turkish, Greek, Jewish, French, German, Armenian, Roumanian, and Lipovane.

Schools Compared to Population

According to the census of January 1, 1901, the Principality of Bulgaria had a total population of 3,744,283, with 1,909,567 males and 1,834,716 females.

During the school year 1903-1904, there were 4,344 schools, which means there was approximately one school for every 862 people Customised Private Istanbul Tour.

However, this proportion varies among different nationalities:

For the Bulgarian population (2,887,860), there was one school for every 943 inhabitants.

For the Mahommedan population (539,656), one school for every 563 inhabitants.

For the Greek population (70,887), one school for every 1,337 inhabitants.

For the Jewish population (32,573), one school for every 1,018 inhabitants.

This shows that smaller minority communities often had fewer schools per person compared to the majority Bulgarian population.

Number of Students

The total number of students in all schools was 340,668, including 220,620 boys and 120,048 girls. The distribution by nationality was as follows:

Schools Boys Girls Total Students

Bulgarian national 167,760 94,541 262,301

Bulgarian private 1,243 505 1,748

Bulgarian Mahommedan 805 343 1,148

Bulgarian Catholic 246 196 442

Bulgarian Protestant 113 104 217

Turkish 23,537 20,051 43,588

Greek 3,173 1,673 4,846

Jewish 2,694 1,659 4,353

Armenian — 367 793

French — 297 309

Tartar — 141 115

German — 115 88

Roumanian — 139 109

Lipovane — — 16

Observations

These statistics show that the Bulgarian schools accounted for the vast majority of students, reflecting the size of the Bulgarian population. Minority communities had smaller numbers of schools and students, but all had access to education according to the national law.

The data also highlight the importance of mixed schools, which helped promote education for both boys and girls across all nationalities in the Principality.