Students throughout the country are taking part in the first census of primary and secondary schools.
More than 400 schools have signed on for the voluntary project, Census at School, which started on Monday as part of Maths Week and will run until September 12.
The on-line census is part of an international effort to boost statistical awareness among young people and has already been done in South Africa, Queensland, South Australia and Canada.
The New Zealand project is being conducted by Megan Jowsey, head of maths at Birkenhead College, with help from Auckland University and Statistics New Zealand.
Questionnaires have been designed for each class from years five to 10.
They ask for details ranging from age and hair colour to the length of the student’s right foot, what the students had for breakfast and their physical activities.
Data collected from the census will be compiled over the next three months and will be included in the international database.
Source: NZ Herald
