Pupils per teacher in public and private elementary and secondary schools, by level of education and country: Selected years, 1985 through 2007

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Table C.1.02.

Pupils per teacher in public and private elementary and secondary schools, by level of education and country: Selected years, 1985 through 2007

	Elementary																Junior high school (lower secondary)														Senior high school (upper secondary)
Country	1985		1990		2000		2003		2004		2005		2006		2007		1985	1990	2000		2003		2004		2005		2006		2007		1985	1990	2000		2003		2004		2005		2006		2007
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

OECD countries
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
Non-OECD 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.

¹Public schools only.

²Includes only general programs.

³Includes junior high school data.

⁴Includes preprimary data.

⁵Excludes independent private institutions.

⁶Includes postsecondary non-higher-education.

⁷Includes elementary school data.

⁸Country did not exist in its current form in the given year.

⁹Includes tertiary type B education (i.e., occupation-specific education corresponding to that offered at the associate's degree level in the United States).

¹⁰Data for 1985 are for the former West Germany.

¹¹Excludes general programs.

¹²Excludes 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: Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2010). Digest of Education Statistics 2009 (NCES 2010-013), table 401. National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S Department of Education. Washington, DC.