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Digest of Education Statistics
2011 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 412. Pupils per teacher in public and private elementary and secondary schools, by level of education and country: Selected years, 1985 through 2009
Country Elementary Junior high school (lower secondary) Senior high school (upper secondary)
1985 1990 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 1985 1990 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 1985 1990 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
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 average1     17.7   17.0   16.4   16.2   16.1   16.0     14.0   13.6   13.4   13.5   13.4   13.7   13.5   13.1   13.1   13.1   13.3  
Australia 13.8 2    17.3   16.2   16.0   15.9   15.8   15.8               3.2   12.1 3,4  12.2 3,4  12.1 3,4  12.0 3,4  12.0 3,4 
Austria 11.3   11.6     14.1   13.9   13.6   12.9   12.6   9.2 7.7   10.6   10.4   10.3   9.9   9.6   15.2 12.4   11.3   11.3   11.0   10.5   10.2  
Belgium     15.0 5  12.8   12.6   12.6 6  12.6 6  12.5 6    9.4   9.4   9.2 6  8.1 6  8.1 6  9.7 4,7  9.9 7  10.2 7  10.2 6,7  10.8 6,7  10.2 6,7 
Canada 18.1   17.1   18.1             16.0 15.5 18.1         16.6 5,8    16.0 15.3 19.5       16.4 2,4,5,8  14.7    
Chile       25.9   25.5   24.7   24.1   22.4     25.9   25.5   24.7   24.1   22.4     26.6   26.3   25.7   25.2   24.7  
                                                                                         
Czech Republic (9)   (9)   19.7   17.5   17.3   18.7   18.1   18.4   (9) (9) 14.7   13.5   12.3   12.3   11.8   11.5   (9) (9) 11.5   12.8   11.9   12.3   12.2   12.2  
Denmark 12.7   11.2   10.4             10.2 9.3 11.4   11.9 8  11.4 8  11.2 8  10.1 8  9.9 8  14.8 13.3 14.4            
Estonia (9)   (9)       14.1   14.4   16.4   16.2   (9) (9)     12.3   11.4   16.0   15.7   (9) (9)     13.3   12.2 7  12.4 7  16.8 7 
Finland     16.9   15.9   15.0   15.0   14.4   13.6   10.7   10.0   9.7   9.9   10.6   10.1   17.0 7,10  18.0 7,10  15.8 7,10  15.9 7  15.9 7  16.6 7 
France     19.8   19.4   19.3 6  19.7 6  19.9 6  19.7 6  14.7   14.2   14.1 6  14.3 6  14.6 6  14.9 6  10.4   10.3   9.7 6  9.6 6  9.4 6  9.6 6 
                                                                                         
Germany11  20.7   20.3   19.8   18.8   18.7   18.3   18.0   17.4   16.9 14.6 15.7   15.5   15.5   15.2   15.0   15.1   23.7 21.0 13.9   14.0   14.3   14.3   14.0   13.9  
Greece     13.4   11.1   10.6   10.1   10.1 12    10.8   7.9   8.0   7.7   7.7 12    10.5   8.8   8.3   7.3   7.3 12   
Hungary     10.9   10.6   10.4   10.2   10.6   10.7   10.9   10.4   10.2   10.2   10.9   10.8   11.4 7  12.2   12.3   12.1   12.3   12.8  
Iceland                 12.7 8  11.3 8  10.6 8  10.4 8  10.0 8  9.9 8  9.7   10.8 7  10.8 7  10.2 7  10.6 7  10.9 7 
Ireland     21.5   17.9   19.4   17.9   17.8   15.9               7.2 8.3 15.9 4,7  15.5 4,7  14.6 4,7  13.2 2,4,7  12.8 2,4,7  12.6 2,4,7 
                                                                                         
Israel       17.3   17.2   16.4   16.3   17.0     13.4   14.1   12.4   12.2   13.7     13.4   13.2   11.8   10.9   10.8  
Italy 12.8   10.7   11.0   10.6   10.7   10.5   10.6 2  10.7 2  9.6 8.5 10.4   10.1   10.3   9.4   9.7 2  10.0 2  10.8 10.7 10.2   11.0   11.0   10.8   11.8 2  11.8 2 
Japan   20.8 2  20.9   19.4   19.2   19.0   18.8   18.6   18.6 16.8   15.1   14.9   14.8   14.7   14.5   16.2 14.0   13.0 7  12.7 7  12.5 7  12.3 7  12.2 7 
Korea,
   Republic of
    32.1   28.0   26.7   25.6   24.1   22.5   21.5   20.8   20.8   20.5   20.2   19.9   20.9   16.0   15.9   16.2   16.5   16.7  
Luxembourg     15.9 2    11.3 2  11.2 2  12.1 2  11.6               9.2 2,4  9.0 2,4  9.0 2,4,7  9.0 2,4  9.1 2,4  9.1 4 
                                                                                         
Mexico     27.2   28.3   28.0   28.0   28.0   28.1   34.8   33.7   33.4   33.3   33.9   33.0   26.5   25.8   25.4   25.7   25.8   25.6  
Netherlands 20.2   19.2   16.8 5  15.9 5  15.3 5  15.6 5  15.8 2,5  15.8 2,5  12.7 12.4             17.1 4  16.2 4  15.8 4,7  15.7 4,7  15.8 2,4,7  16.1 2,4,7 
New Zealand 20.1   19.1   20.6   18.1   17.7   17.5   17.1   16.3   19.9   16.8   16.6   16.2   16.2   16.3   13.1   12.9   12.7   13.3   12.8   12.8  
Norway     12.4     10.9 2  11.0 2  10.8 2  10.7 2  9.9     10.2 2  10.2 2  10.1 2  9.9 2  9.7     9.7 2,7  9.8 2,7  9.9 2,7  9.4 2,7 
Poland     12.7   11.7   11.5   11.0   10.5   10.2   11.5   12.7   12.6   12.4   12.9   12.9   16.9   12.9   12.8   12.2   12.2   12.0  
                                                                                         
Portugal     12.1   10.8   10.6   11.8   11.3   11.3   10.4   8.2   8.3   7.9   8.1   7.6   7.9   8.0   7.5 7  8.4 7  7.3 7  7.7 7 
Slovak Republic (9)   (9)   18.3   18.9   18.6   17.9   18.6   17.7   (9) (9) 13.5   14.1   13.7   13.9   14.5   14.0   (9) (9) 12.8   14.3   14.2   14.1   15.1   15.1  
Slovenia (9)   (9)     15.0   14.9   15.2   15.8   16.7   (9) (9)   11.1   10.2   9.5   8.9   7.9   (9) (9)   14.6   14.0 7  13.9 7  13.7 7  14.3 7 
Spain 26.8   21.2   14.9   14.3   14.2   13.6   13.1   13.3   21.4 18.8   12.5   12.5   11.7   10.3   10.1   15.3 14.8 11.9 4  8.1   7.8   7.7   8.7   9.3  
Sweden 11.6   10.6   12.8   12.2   12.1   12.3   12.2   12.1   10.8 10.2 12.8   12.0   11.4   11.5   11.4   11.3   13.1 11.9 15.2   14.0   13.8   13.6   14.7   13.2  
                                                                                         
Switzerland       14.6 2  15.1 2  14.8 2  15.4 2  15.4 2    11.7 2  12.3 2  12.3 2  12.1 2  12.0 2    10.5 2,3  10.5 2,3  10.6 2,3  10.4 2,3  10.4 2,3 
Turkey 31.1   30.6   30.5   25.8   26.7   26.2   24.4   22.9   41.3 48.4             11.0 12.1 14.0   16.2   15.8   16.2   17.0   16.9  
United Kingdom 19.7   22.0   21.2   20.7   19.8   19.4   20.2   19.9   18.5 17.6 3  17.0   16.7   16.7   15.0   16.1   11.1 13.9 12.5 3  11.8 3,7  11.6 3,7  11.3 3,7  12.4 7  12.3 7 
United States 17.0   15.6   15.8   14.9   14.6   14.6   14.3   14.8   16.5 15.9 16.3   15.1   14.7   14.7   14.8   14.3   16.2 15.8 14.1   16.0   15.7   15.6   15.6   15.1  
                                                                                         
Other reporting
   countries
                                                                                       
Brazil       22.9   22.5   25.8   24.5   24.0     18.1   17.6   22.3   21.2   21.0     17.6   17.0   20.2   18.4   18.1  
Russian
     Federation
(9)   (9)         17.0 2  17.3 2  17.9 2  (9) (9)             (9) (9)   11.2 7,13  9.9 4,7,13  8.8 4,7,14  8.7 4,7,14  8.7 4,7,14 
—Not available.
†Not applicable. This level of education does not exist within the national education structure; students in the age group normally associated with this education level are reported in other levels.
1 Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting OECD countries, to which each country reporting data contributes equally. The average includes all current OECD countries for which a given year's data are available, even if they were not members of OECD in that year. However, if data were reported for less than 75 percent of the countries that were members of OECD in a given year, the average for that year is omitted.
2 Public schools only.
3 Includes only general programs.
4 Includes junior high school data.
5 Includes preprimary data.
6 Excludes independent private institutions.
7 Includes postsecondary non-higher-education.
8 Includes elementary school data.
9 Country did not exist in its current form in the given year.
10 Includes tertiary type B education (i.e., occupation-specific education corresponding to that offered at the associate's degree level in the United States).
11 Data for 1985 are for the former West Germany.
12 Data included for Greece for 2008 are from 2007.
13 Excludes general programs.
14 Excludes part-time personnel in public institutions.
NOTE: For 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; and Education at a Glance, 2002 through 2011. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, International Education Indicators: A Time Series Perspective, 1985-1995 (NCES 2000-021). (This table was prepared June 2011).

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