Education in States and Nations: 1991
(ESN) Indicator 15: Number of schools and school size
A nation or state may have a large number of schools and a small
average
school size because of a dispersed population, or because of some
other,
deliberate policy. Schooling could be compartmentalized by level
(e.g.,
preprimary, primary, lower secondary, upper secondary) or by
curricular theme
(e.g., academic, vocational). These levels and themes may be
separated by
school or combined. The more they are kept separate, the greater
the number
of individual schools and the smaller the average school size.
Some educators
believe there is a negative association between large school size
and student
achievement and, therefore, encourage a reduction in the number
of students
per school. On the other hand, though smaller schools may have a
stronger
sense of community, larger schools often can provide broader
curricular
offerings.
- Of the G-7 countries for which data are available for
various years
between 1989 and 1993, the United States and Japan had the
largest
average number of students per school at the preprimary
through
secondary level (398 and 395, respectively). The average
for France
(166), the G-7 country with the smallest number of students
per
school, was less than half that of the United States.
- The average number of students per preprimary through
secondary school
in Taiwan (873), the country with the largest number of
students per
school, was over five times greater than that of Finland
(156), the
country with the smallest average school size at the same
level.
- For the most part, the schools in the U.S. states at the
preprimary
through secondary level were larger than those in other
countries.
Schools in 28 states, but only 2 of 13 countries, averaged
above 400
students.
- Of the five G-7 countries included in various years between
1987 and
1993, the average number of students per higher education
institution
in the United States (3,988) was second only to Germany
(5,660) and
greater than those of Japan (2,327), France (2,636), and
Canada
(3,769). Germany, Korea, and Taiwan were the only
countries, among
the eleven for whom data were available, with averages
above 5,000.
Korea's average (5,779) was almost eight times that of
Belgium (728),
the country with the smallest number of students per
institution.
- The U.S. states generally had higher average numbers of
students per
higher education institution than did the other countries.
Five
states, but none of the countries, had averages above 6,000
students
per institution; whereas half of the other countries, but
only 14 of
the states, had averages below 3,000 students per
institution.
Note on interpretation:
There are marked differences among countries with respect to
whether certain
programs are classified as belonging to the university,
non-university, or
upper secondary sector. For example, in some countries, programs
leading to
qualifications in teaching and nursing are considered to be
university
programs; in others, they are non-university programs.
Furthermore, some
vocational and technical programs are classified as
non-university higher
education in parts of Canada and the United States, whereas they
are defined
as upper secondary education in most other countries.
Table 14b 
Figure 15a
