Class Size

Class size limitations and the consequences for exceeding them are frequently set at the state level, although some districts set their own policies either in addition to state requirements or when the state has no requirements.

Consequences for exceeding class size limits range from nothing to the state withholding the salary of the district?s superintendent, with common policies including informing parents, requiring that another teacher or paraprofessional is hired, and the state reducing funding to the district.

Teacher Contract Database Our database covers class size maximums by grade level and the protocol followed when the number of students in a classroom exceeds the limit.

What the research shows

Although class size reduction is often referred to as the most studied policy in education, the evidence for its effectiveness is mixed. It is worth noting that between 1950 and 1995 pupil-teacher ratios fell by 35 percent, from about 27-1 to about 17-1, yet there has not been a consistent or corresponding improvement in overall student performance (Hanushek, 1999). A meta-analysis of 277 estimates of effects of class size on student achievement concluded that 15 percent of the estimates showed positive, statistically significant effects, 13 percent showed negative, statistically significant effects and the majority of estimates showed no effects (Hanushek, 1999).

A summary on class size from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) suggests that there is some evidence for the efficacy of class size reduction. Drawing on the Tennessee Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) study and the Wisconsin Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) study, AERA concludes that classes of 13-17 students implemented in kindergarten or first grade are effective, especially for low-income students. The results appear to stick: students who had small classes in the early grades retained an academic advantage through eighth grade. AERA does warn though that an increase in the number of teachers could lead to fewer students in the classrooms of effective teachers and also acknowledges that class size reduction may not be the most optimal use of limited resources (Finn and Achilles, 2003).

A RAND study came to rather ambiguous conclusions. The study tried to evaluate the effect of California's 1996 "Class Size Reduction" initiative. Using achievement data from the Stanford-9 test given to California students annually between grades 2-11, RAND researchers found that elementary school scores did go up at the same time as the implementation of class size limit of 20. Unfortunately, they report that they were unable to sufficiently control for previous achievement to assert the cumulative effects of class size reduction, so they could not attribute gains to the initiative (Stecher et al 2001).

A National Bureau of Economic Research paper by Alan Krueger and Diane Whitmore, The Effect of Attending a Small Class in the Early Grades on College-Test Taking and Middle School Test Results: Evidence from Project STAR, reports that low-income and black students tend to benefit more from a reduction in class size from 22 to 15 than white students. For example, average NAEP scores increased by 7-10 percentile points for black students in small classes and 3-4 percentile points for white students in small classes. After returning to a regular size class in the 4th grade after 3 years of small classes, the benefits fall to about 5 points for black students and 1.5 points for white students.

A 2010 study by Matthew Chingos, The Impact of a Universal Class-Size Reduction Policy: Evidence from Florida?s Statewide Mandate, examined the impact of class-size reduction over the last eight years: Florida amended their constitution in 2002 to require universal class limitations for pre-K through grade 12 by the 2010-2011 school year. The study found no discernable effects for elementary or middle school student performance, attendance, school violence or suspension rates. The research does not examine students in pre-school through grade 2 and high school.

Works Cited

Chingos, Matthew M. "The impact of a universal class-size reduction policy: Evidence from Florida's statewide mandate." Economics of Education Review31.5 (2012): 543-562.

Finn, Jeremy D., and Charles M. Achilles. "Class Size: Counting Students Can Count." Research Points 1.2 (2003): American Educational Research Association.

Hanushek, E.A. (1999). The Evidence on Class Size. In Mayer, S. E., & Peterson, P. E. (Eds.). Earning and learning: How schools matter (pp. 131-168). Brookings Institution Press.

Krueger, Alan B. and Whitmore, Diane M. ?The Effect of Attending a Small Class in the Early Grades on College-Test Taking and Middle School Test Results: Evidence from Project Star.? NBER Working paper (2000): No. 7656

Stecher, Brian, et al. "Class-Size Reduction in California: A Story of Hope, Promise, and Unintended Consequences." Phi Delta Kappan 82.9 (2001): 670-74.