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Digest of Education Statistics
2009 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 401. Pupils per teacher in public and private elementary and secondary schools, by level of education and country: Selected years, 1985 through 2007
Country Elementary Junior high school (lower secondary) Senior high school (upper secondary)
1985 1990 2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 1985 1990 2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 1985 1990 2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
OECD average     17.7   16.5   16.9   16.7   16.2   16.0   15.0   14.3   13.7   13.7   13.3   13.2   13.9   13.0   12.7   13.0   12.4   12.5  
Australia 13.8 1    17.3   16.6   16.4   16.2   16.0   15.9               3.2   12.4 2,3 12.3 2,3 12.1 2,3 12.2 2,3 12.1 2,3
Austria 11.3   11.6     14.4   15.1   14.1   13.9   13.6   9.2 7.7   10.0   10.4   10.6   10.4   10.3   15.2 12.4   10.2   11.0   11.3   11.3   11.0  
Belgium     15.0 4  13.1   12.9   12.8   12.6   12.6 5    10.6   10.6   9.4   9.4   9.2 5  9.7 3,6 9.6 6  9.2 6  9.9 6  10.2 6  10.2 5,6
Canada 18.1   17.1   18.1             16.0 15.5 18.1             16.0 15.3 19.5           16.4 1,3,4,7
Czech Republic (8)   (8)   19.7   18.3   17.9   17.5   17.3   18.7   (8) (8) 14.7   14.3   13.5   13.5   12.3   12.3   (8) (8) 11.5   12.6   12.6   12.8   11.9   12.3  
                                                                                       
Denmark 12.7   11.2   10.4             10.2 9.3 11.4   10.8 7  11.3 7  11.9 7  11.4 7  11.2 7  14.8 13.3 14.4   13.4          
Finland     16.9   16.6   16.3   15.9   15.0   15.0   10.7   9.8   10.0   10.0   9.7   9.9   17.0 6,9 15.9 6,9 16.2 6,9 18.0 6,9 15.8 6,9 15.9 6 
France     19.8   19.4   19.4   19.4   19.3 5  19.7 5  14.7   13.7   14.1   14.2   14.1 5  14.3 5  10.4   10.6   10.3   10.3   9.7 5  9.6 5 
Germany10 20.7   20.3   19.8   18.7   18.8   18.8   18.7   18.3   16.9 14.6 15.7   15.6   15.6   15.5   15.5   15.2   23.7 21.0 13.9   13.7   13.9   14.0   14.3   14.3  
Greece     13.4   12.1   11.3   11.1   10.6   10.1   10.8   8.7   8.2   7.9   8.0   7.7   10.5   8.6   8.4   8.8   8.3   7.3  
                                                                                       
Hungary     10.9   10.6   10.7   10.6   10.4   10.2   10.9   10.6   10.2   10.4   10.2   10.2   11.4 6  13.2   12.3   12.2   12.3   12.1  
Iceland                 12.7 7  11.3 7  11.4 7  11.3 7  10.6 7  10.4 7  9.7   10.7 6  11.1   10.8 6  10.8 6  10.2 6 
Ireland     21.5   18.7   18.3   17.9   19.4   17.9 1              7.2 8.3 15.9 3,6 13.7 3,6 14.3 3,6 15.5 3,6 14.6 3,6 13.2 1,3,6
Italy 12.8   10.7   11.0   10.9   10.7   10.6   10.7   10.5   9.6 8.5 10.4   10.3   10.3   10.1   10.3   9.4   10.8 10.7 10.2   10.8   11.5   11.0   11.0   10.8  
Japan   20.8 1  20.9   19.9   19.6   19.4   19.2   19.0   18.6 16.8   15.7   15.3   15.1   14.9   14.8   16.2 14.0   13.5 6  13.2 6  13.0 6  12.7 6  12.5 6 
                                                                                       
Korea, Republic of     32.1   30.2   29.1   28.0   26.7   25.6   21.5   19.9   20.4   20.8   20.8   20.5   20.9   16.0   15.9   16.0   15.9   16.2  
Luxembourg     15.9 1  10.8 1      11.3 1  11.2 1              9.2 1,3 9.0 1,3 9.0 1,3 9.0 1,3 9.0 1,3,6 9.0 1,3
Mexico     27.2   26.7   28.5   28.3   28.0   28.0   34.8   32.4   33.7   33.7   33.4   33.3   26.5   24.0   25.2   25.8   25.4   25.7  
Netherlands 20.2   19.2   16.8 4  16.0 4  15.9 4  15.9 4  15.3 4  15.6 4  12.7 12.4             17.1 3  15.7 3  15.8 3  16.2 3  15.8 3,6 15.7 3,6
New Zealand 20.1   19.1   20.6   19.9   16.7   18.1   17.7   17.5   19.9   18.8   17.3   16.8   16.6   16.2   13.1   10.9   12.5   12.9   12.7   13.3  
                                                                                       
Norway     12.4   11.7 1  11.9 1    10.9 1  11.0 1  9.9   10.4 1  10.5 1    10.2 1  10.2 1  9.7   9.2 1,6 9.6 1,6   9.7 1,6 9.8 1,6
Poland     12.7   11.9     11.7   11.5   11.0   11.5   12.6     12.7   12.6   12.4   16.9   13.5     12.9   12.8   12.2  
Portugal     12.1     11.1   10.8   10.6   11.8   10.4     10.0   8.2   8.3   7.9   7.9     7.3   8.0   7.5 6  8.4 6 
Slovak Republic (8)   (8)   18.3   19.4   18.9   18.9   18.6   17.9   (8) (8) 13.5   13.9   13.9   14.1   13.7   13.9   (8) (8) 12.8   14.0   14.2   14.3   14.2   14.1  
Spain 26.8   21.2   14.9   14.3   14.3   14.3   14.2   13.6   21.4 18.8   13.3   12.9   12.5   12.5   11.7   15.3 14.8 11.9 3  7.9   8.0   8.1   7.8   7.7  
                                                                                       
Sweden 11.6   10.6   12.8   12.3   12.1   12.2   12.1   12.3   10.8 10.2 12.8   12.1   11.9   12.0   11.4   11.5   13.1 11.9 15.2   14.1   14.0   14.0   13.8   13.6  
Switzerland         14.3 1  14.6 1  15.1 1  14.8 1      11.2 1  11.7 1  12.3 1  12.3 1      11.1 1  10.5 1,2 10.5 1,2 10.6 1,2
Turkey 31.1   30.6   30.5   25.9   26.5   25.8   26.7   26.2   41.3 48.4             11.0 12.1 14.0   18.0   16.9   16.2   15.8   16.2  
United Kingdom 19.7   22.0   21.2   20.0   21.1   20.7   19.8   19.4   18.5 17.6 2  17.4   17.1   17.0   16.7   16.7   11.1 13.9 12.5 2  12.6 2  12.3 2,6 11.8 2,6 11.6 2,6 11.3 2,6
United States 17.0   15.6   15.8   15.5   15.0   14.9   14.6   14.6   16.5 15.9 16.3   15.5   15.2   15.1   14.7   14.7   16.2 15.8 14.1   15.6   16.0   16.0   15.7   15.6  
                                                                                       
Reporting partner
   countries
                                                                                       
Brazil         23.5   22.9   22.5   25.8       18.8   18.1   17.6   22.3       18.3   17.6   17.0   20.2  
Chile       33.9   27.1   25.9   25.5   24.7     33.5   44.3   25.9   25.5   24.7     32.3   26.8   26.6   26.3   25.7  
Estonia (8)   (8)           14.1   14.4   (8) (8)         12.3   11.4   (8) (8)         13.3   12.2 6 
Israel       20.9   16.9   17.3   17.2   16.4     13.4   14.1   13.4   14.1   12.4     12.9   12.2   13.4   13.2   11.8  
Russian Federation (8)   (8)     17.0   17.0       17.0 1  (8) (8)             (8) (8)   8.5 3  10.3 3,6 11.2 6,11 9.9 3,6,11 8.8 3,6,11,12
Slovenia (8)   (8)         15.0   14.9   15.2   (8) (8)       11.1   10.2   9.5   (8) (8)       14.6   14.0 6  13.9 6 
—Not available.    
†Not applicable.    
1 Public schools only.    
2 Includes only general programs.    
3 Includes junior high school data.    
4 Includes preprimary data.    
5 Excludes independent private institutions.    
6 Includes postsecondary non-higher-education.    
7 Includes elementary school data.    
8 Country did not exist in its current form in the given year.    
9 Includes tertiary type B education (i.e., occupation-specific education corresponding to that offered at the associate's degree level in the United States).
10 Data for 1985 are for the former West Germany.    
11 Excludes general programs.        
12 Excludes part-time personnel in public institutions.                                              
NOTE: In the U.S. data in this table, elementary school corresponds to grades 1 through 6, junior high school corresponds to grades 7 through 9, and senior high school corresponds to grades 10 through 12.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Online Education Database; Annual National Accounts, Vol. 1, 1997; and Education at a Glance, 2002 through 2008. (This table was prepared July 2009.)

2009 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest