From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogwarts
In J.K. Rowling’s best-selling Harry Potter series of novels, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a school of magic for witches and wizards between the ages of eleven and eighteen. Six of the seven books in the Harry Potter series are largely set at the the school, with each book lasting the equivalent of one school year. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, most of the book is set outside Hogwarts as main characters Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger do not attend their final year of school. The climactic battle of the book, and the series, however, is set at Hogwarts.
In the novels, Hogwarts appears to be the only such school in the British Isles and is located in Scotland, although it appears as a ruined castle to Muggles. While Hogwarts is a total institution, its status is not discussed in great detail in the novels, but it is known to be a coeducational, secondary boarding school, taking children from ages 11 to 18, but education is not compulsory, with some students being homeschooled as stated in the seventh book. Rowling initially said there are about 1000 students at Hogwarts;[2] She later suggested around six hundred, while acknowledging that this number was still inconsistent with the small number of people in Harry’s year. She further explained that this had resulted from her creating only 40 characters for Harry’s year.[3]
Management of the school is undertaken by the Headmaster or Headmistress, assisted by a Deputy Headmaster or Headmistress. The Head is answerable to the twelve-member Board of Governors. It is unclear how Hogwarts is funded, it is insinuated that the families pay for the students at least partially (when said family is able). However, in book three Harry stops himself from buying a Firebolt because he still has several years left at Hogwarts, but this is most likely related to the expense of books and supplies rather than tuition. Also, in book six Tom Riddle says that he can not afford to go to Hogwarts, to which Dumbledore replies “There is a fund at Hogwarts for those who require assistance to buy books and robes,” (p. 213), as students are required to purchase their own textbooks, uniform, and other supplies. The Ministry of Magic’s efforts to take control of the school in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix imply that it is a publicly funded school, though no mention of where the Ministry receives its funds is made.
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