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Digest of Education Statistics
2006 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 396. Pupils per teacher in public and private elementary and secondary schools, by level of education and country: Selected years, 1985 through 2004
Country Elementary Junior high school (lower secondary) Senior high school (upper secondary)
1985 1990 1996 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 1985 1990 1996 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 1985 1990 1996 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
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
Australia 13.8 1    18.1 17.3 17.0 16.9   16.6   16.4       12.5 2,3  12.4 2,3  12.3 2,3  3.2     12.5 2,3  12.4 2,3  12.3 2,3 
Austria 11.3   11.6   12.7 14.3 14.4   14.4   15.1   9.2 7.7 9.2   9.8   9.8   10.0   10.4   15.2 12.4 8.5   9.9   10.3   10.2   11.0  
Belgium     15.0 13.4 13.1   13.1   12.9   9.7 2  9.8 2  9.3 2  10.6   10.6   9.7 2  9.8 2  9.3 2  9.6   9.2  
Canada 18.1   17.1   17.0 18.1 18.3       16.0 15.5 20.0 18.1   18.4         16.0 15.3 19.5 19.5   17.2        
Denmark 12.7   11.2   11.2 10.4 10.0 10.9 4  10.8 4  11.3 4  10.2 9.3 10.1 11.4   11.1   10.9 4  10.8 4  11.3 4  14.8 13.3 12.1 14.4   13.9   14.2   13.4    
                                                                               
France     19.5 19.8 19.5 19.4   19.4   19.4   14.7   13.5   13.7   13.7   14.1   10.4   11.2   10.6   10.6   10.3  
Germany5  20.7   20.3   20.9 19.8 19.4 18.9   18.7   18.8   16.9 14.6 16.0 15.7   15.7   15.7   15.6   15.6   23.7 21.0 13.1 13.9   13.7   13.6   13.7   13.9  
Ireland     22.6 21.5 20.3 19.5   18.7   18.3   15.9 2  15.2 2  14.3 2  13.7 2  14.3 2  7.2 8.3 15.9 2  15.2 2  14.3 2  13.7 2  14.3 2 
Italy 12.8   10.7   11.2 11.0 10.8 10.6   10.9   10.7   9.6 8.5 10.8 10.4   9.9   9.9   10.3   10.3   10.8 10.7 9.8 10.2   10.4   10.3   10.8   11.5  
Japan   20.8 1  19.7 20.9 20.6 20.3   19.9   19.6   18.6 16.2 16.8   16.6   16.2   15.7   15.3   16.2 15.6 14.0   14.0   13.7   13.5   13.2  
                                                                               
Netherlands 20.2   19.2   20.0 16.8 17.2 17.0   16.0   15.9   12.7 12.4 17.1 2  17.1 2  15.9 2  15.7 2  15.8 2  17.1 2  17.1 2  15.9 2  15.7 2  15.8 2 
New Zealand 20.1   19.1   22.0 20.6 19.6 19.6   19.9   16.7   18.1 19.9   18.7   19.4   18.8   17.3   14.1 13.1   12.8   13.8   10.9   12.5  
Norway     12.4 11.6 11.5   11.7 1  11.9 1  9.9   9.3   10.3   10.4 1  10.5 1  9.7   9.2   9.2   9.2 1  9.6 1 
Portugal     12.1 11.6 11.0     11.1   10.4   9.9   9.3     10.0   7.9   8.0   7.5     7.3  
Spain 26.8   21.2   18.0 14.9 14.7 14.6   14.3   14.3   21.4 18.8 17.8 11.9 2  11.0 2  13.7   13.3   12.9   15.3 14.8 14.2 11.9 2  11.0 2  8.3   7.9   8.0  
                                                                               
Sweden 11.6   10.6   12.7 12.8 12.4 12.5   12.3   12.1   10.8 10.2 12.2 12.8   12.4   12.2   12.1   11.9   13.1 11.9 15.2 15.2   16.6   14.1   14.1   14.0  
Turkey 31.1   30.6   30.5 29.8 27.5   25.9   26.5   41.3 48.4           11.0 12.1 14.0   17.2   17.7   18.0   16.9  
United Kingdom 19.7   22.0   21.3 21.2 20.5 19.9   20.0 3  21.1   18.5 16.0 17.6 3  17.3 3  17.6 3  17.4 3  17.1 3  11.1 13.9 15.3 12.5 3  12.3 3  12.5 3  12.6 3  12.3 3 
United States 17.0   15.6   16.9 15.8 16.3 15.5   15.5   15.0   16.5 15.9 17.5 16.3   17.0   15.5   15.5   15.2   16.2 15.8 14.7 14.1   14.8   15.6   15.6   16.0  
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
1 Public schools only.
2 Junior high school and senior high school data are combined.
3 Includes only general programs in junior high school and senior high school.
4 Elementary school data and junior high school data are combined.
5 Data for 1985 are for the former West Germany.
NOTE: In the U.S. data in this table, elementary 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), Education Online Database; Annual National Accounts, Vol. 1, 1997; and Education at a Glance, 2002 through 2006. (This table was prepared September 2006.)

2006 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest