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Digest of Education Statistics
2008 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 402. Pupils per teacher in public and private elementary and secondary schools, by level of education and country: Selected years, 1985 through 2006
Country Elementary Junior high school (lower secondary) Senior high school (upper secondary)
1985 1990 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 1985 1990 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 1985 1990 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
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   16.6   16.5   16.9   16.7   16.2   15.0   14.4   14.3   13.7   13.7   13.3   13.9   13.1   13.0   12.7   13.0   12.4  
Australia 13.8 1    17.3   16.9   16.6   16.4   16.2   16.0               3.2   12.5 2,3  12.4 2,3  12.3 2,3  12.1 2,3  12.2 2,3 
Austria 11.3   11.6     14.4   14.4   15.1   14.1   13.9   9.2 7.7   9.8   10.0   10.4   10.6   10.4   15.2 12.4   10.3   10.2   11.0   11.3   11.3  
Belgium     15.0 4  13.1   13.1   12.9   12.8   12.6       10.6   10.6   9.4   9.4   9.7 2,5  9.3 2,5  9.6 5  9.2 5  9.9 5  10.2 5 
Canada 18.1   17.1   18.1             16.0 15.5 18.1             16.0 15.3 19.5            
Czech Republic (6)   (6)   19.7   18.9   18.3   17.9   17.5   17.3   (6) (6) 14.7   14.4   14.3   13.5   13.5   12.3   (6) (6) 11.5   12.9 5  12.6   12.6   12.8   11.9  
                                                                                         
Denmark 12.7   11.2   10.4             10.2 9.3 11.4   10.9 7  10.8 7  11.3 7  11.9 7  11.4 7  14.8 13.3 14.4   14.2   13.4        
Finland     16.9   15.8   16.6   16.3   15.9   15.0   10.7   10.6   9.8   10.0   10.0   9.7   17.0 5,8  16.0 5,8  15.9 5,8  16.2 5,8  18.0 5,8  15.8 5,8 
France     19.8   19.4   19.4   19.4   19.4   19.3 9  14.7   13.7   13.7   14.1   14.2   14.1 9  10.4   10.6   10.6   10.3   10.3   9.7 9 
Germany10  20.7   20.3   19.8   18.9   18.7   18.8   18.8   18.7   16.9 14.6 15.7   15.7   15.6   15.6   15.5   15.5   23.7 21.0 13.9   13.6   13.7   13.9   14.0   14.3  
Greece     13.4   12.5   12.1   11.3   11.1   10.6   10.8   9.3   8.7   8.2   7.9   8.0   10.5   9.3   8.6   8.4   8.8   8.3  
                                                                                         
Hungary     10.9   10.8   10.6   10.7   10.6   10.4   10.9   10.7   10.6   10.2   10.4   10.2   11.4 5  13.1   13.2   12.3   12.2   12.3  
Iceland                 12.7 7  11.4 7  11.3 7  11.4 7  11.3 7  10.6 7  9.7   10.6   10.7 5  11.1   10.8 5  10.8 5 
Ireland     21.5   19.5   18.7   18.3   17.9   19.4               7.2 8.3 15.9 2,5  14.3 2,5  13.7 2,5  14.3 2,5  15.5 2,5  14.6 2,5 
Italy 12.8   10.7   11.0   10.6   10.9   10.7   10.6   10.7   9.6 8.5 10.4   9.9   10.3   10.3   10.1   10.3   10.8 10.7 10.2   10.3   10.8   11.5   11.0   11.0  
Japan   20.8 1  20.9   20.3   19.9   19.6   19.4   19.2   18.6 16.8   16.2   15.7   15.3   15.1   14.9   16.2 14.0   13.7 5  13.5 5  13.2 5  13.0 5  12.7 5 
                                                                                         
Korea, Republic of     32.1   31.4   30.2   29.1   28.0   26.7   21.5   20.7   19.9   20.4   20.8   20.8   20.9   16.5   16.0   15.9   16.0   15.9  
Luxembourg     15.9 1  11.6 1  10.8 1      11.3 1              9.2 1,2  9.0 1,2  9.0 1,2  9.0 1,2  9.0 1,2  9.0 1,2,5 
Mexico     27.2   26.9   26.7   28.5   28.3   28.0   34.8   31.5   32.4   33.7   33.7   33.4   26.5   24.3   24.0   25.2   25.8   25.4  
Netherlands 20.2   19.2   16.8 4  17.0 4  16.0 4  15.9 4  15.9 4  15.3 4  12.7 12.4             17.1 2  15.9 2  15.7 2  15.8 2  16.2 2  15.8 2,5 
New Zealand 20.1   19.1   20.6   19.6   19.9   16.7   18.1   17.7   19.9   19.4   18.8   17.3   16.8   16.6   13.1   13.8   10.9   12.5   12.9   12.7  
                                                                                         
Norway     12.4   10.3 1  11.7 1  11.9 1    10.9 1  9.9   10.1 1  10.4 1  10.5 1    10.2 1  9.7   9.2 1,5  9.2 1,5  9.6 1,5    9.7 1,5 
Poland     12.7   12.8   11.9     11.7   11.5   11.5   14.1   12.6     12.7   12.6   16.9   13.7   13.5     12.9   12.8  
Portugal     12.1   11.0     11.1   10.8   10.6   10.4   9.3     10.0   8.2   8.3   7.9   7.5     7.3   8.0   7.5 5 
Slovak Republic (6)   (6)   18.3   20.1   19.4   18.9   18.9   18.6   (6) (6) 13.5   14.0   13.9   13.9   14.1   13.7   (6) (6) 12.8   13.3   14.0   14.2   14.3   14.2  
Spain 26.8   21.2   14.9   14.6   14.3   14.3   14.3   14.2   21.4 18.8   13.7   13.3   12.9   12.5   12.5   15.3 14.8 11.9 2  8.3   7.9   8.0   8.1   7.8  
                                                                                         
Sweden 11.6   10.6   12.8   12.5   12.3   12.1   12.2   12.1   10.8 10.2 12.8   12.2   12.1   11.9   12.0   11.4   13.1 11.9 15.2   14.1   14.1   14.0   14.0   13.8  
Switzerland           14.3 1  14.6 1  15.1 1        11.2 1  11.7 1  12.3 1        11.1 1  10.5 1,3  10.5 1,3 
Turkey 31.1   30.6   30.5   27.5   25.9   26.5   25.8   26.7   41.3 48.4             11.0 12.1 14.0   17.7   18.0   16.9   16.2   15.8  
United Kingdom 19.7   22.0   21.2   19.9   20.0   21.1   20.7   19.8   18.5 17.6 3  17.6 3  17.4   17.1   17.0   16.7   11.1 13.9 12.5 3  12.5 3  12.6 3  12.3 3,5  11.8 3,5  11.6 3,5 
United States 17.0   15.6   15.8   15.5   15.5   15.0   14.9   14.6   16.5 15.9 16.3   15.5   15.5   15.2   15.1   14.7   16.2 15.8 14.1   15.6   15.6   16.0   16.0   15.7  
Reporting partner economies                                                                                        
Brazil       22.4     23.5   22.9   22.5     17.9     18.8   18.1   17.6     16.7     18.3   17.6   17.0  
Chile       33.1   33.9   27.1   25.9   25.5     32.9   33.5   44.3   25.9   25.5     31.5   32.3   26.8   26.6   26.3  
Estonia (6)   (6)             14.1   (6) (6)           12.3   (6) (6)           13.3  
Israel       20.3   20.9   16.9   17.3   17.2     13.0   13.4   14.1   13.4   14.1     14.0   12.9   12.2   13.4   13.2  
Russian Federation (6)   (6)     17.1   17.0   17.0       (6) (6)             (6) (6)   11.3 2  8.5 2  10.3 2,5  11.2 5,11  9.9 2,5,11 
Slovenia (6)   (6)           15.0   14.9   (6) (6)         11.1   10.2   (6) (6)         14.6   14.0 5 
— Not available.
† Not applicable.
1 Public schools only.
2 Includes junior high school data.
3 Includes only general programs.
4 Includes preprimary data.
5 Includes postsecondary non-higher-education.
6 Country did not exist in its current form in the given year.
7 Includes elementary school data.
8 Includes tertiary type B education (i.e., occupation-specific education corresponding to that offered at the associate's degree level in the United States).
9 Excludes independent private institutions.
10 Data for 1985 are for the former West Germany.
11 Excludes general programs in upper secondary education.
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 2008. (This table was prepared July 2008.)

2008 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest