In 1833, William D. Porter was acknowledged by the Trustees as "having passed through the ordeal without having committed a single error in any one of his various exercises." (35) The Board believed "that awarding a single premium was sometimes perplexing, and that it served to engender envious and other unkind feelings amongst the members of the class."(36) Therefore the awards were given in three levels: 1st was the premium of excellence given to those who made no errors upon examination; 2nd was given to those who made only one error; and 3rd was given to those pupils who made no more than two errors.

Class Sizes
Though few records remain which actually list the pupils in attendance at the Brookeville Academy, reports to the Maryland Legislature and various catalogues give an indication of the fluctuation in enrollment. The average number of students was 40 from the 1810s through the 1830s, rising to highs in the 60s during the prosperous 1850s. Attendance fell during the Civil War, but numbers rose again to above 40 by the 1870s and went as high as 60 to 70 students in the 1880s and 1890s.

35 "Board Meeting dated September 2, 1833," Brookeville Academy Minute Books, 2 Vols., 1822-1934, MS.149, Manuscripts Division, Maryland Historical Society Library.

36 "Board Meeting dated May 10, 1834," Brookeville Academy Minute Books, 2 Vols., 1822-1934, MS.149, Manuscripts Division, Maryland Historical Society Library.