Pupils per teacher in public and private elementary and secondary schools, by level of education and country: Selected years, 1985 through 2008

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Table 407.

Country	Elementary																Junior high school (lower secondary)														Senior high school (upper secondary)
Country	1985		1990		2000		2004		2005		2006		2007		2008		1985	1990	2000		2004		2005		2006		2007		2008		1985	1990	2000		2004		2005		2006		2007		2008
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		17.3		17.1		16.5		16.3		16.1		—	—	—		15.0		14.2		13.8		13.6		13.5		—	—	13.7		13.2		13.5		13.1		13.1		13.2
Australia	13.8	²	—		17.3		16.4		16.2		16.0		15.9		15.8		—	—	—		—		—		—		—		—		3.2	—	—		12.3	^3,4	12.1	^3,4	12.2	^3,4	12.1	^3,4	12.0	^3,4
Austria	11.3		11.6		—		15.1		14.1		13.9		13.6		12.9		9.2	7.7	—		10.4		10.6		10.4		10.3		9.9		15.2	12.4	—		11.0		11.3		11.3		11.0		10.5
Belgium	—		—		15.0	⁵	12.9		12.8		12.6		12.6	⁶	12.6	⁶	—	—	—		10.6		9.4		9.4		9.2	⁶	8.1	⁶	—	—	9.7	^4,7	9.2	⁷	9.9	⁷	10.2	⁷	10.2	^6,7	10.8	^6,7
Canada	18.1		17.1		18.1		—		—		—		—		—		16.0	15.5	18.1		—		—		—		—		—		16.0	15.3	19.5		—		—		—		16.4	^2,4,5,8	16.3	^2,3,4
Chile	—		—		—		27.1		25.9		25.5		24.7		24.1		—	—	—		44.3		25.9		25.5		24.7		24.1		—	—	—		26.8		26.6		26.3		25.7		25.2

Czech Republic	(⁹)		(⁹)		19.7		17.9		17.5		17.3		18.7		18.1		(⁹)	(⁹)	14.7		13.5		13.5		12.3		12.3		11.8		(⁹)	(⁹)	11.5		12.6		12.8		11.9		12.3		12.2
Denmark	12.7		11.2		10.4		—		—		—		—		—		10.2	9.3	11.4		11.3	⁸	11.9	⁸	11.4	⁸	11.2	⁸	10.1	⁸	14.8	13.3	14.4		—		—		—		—		—
Finland	—		—		16.9		16.3		15.9		15.0		15.0		14.4		—	—	10.7		10.0		10.0		9.7		9.9		10.6		—	—	17.0	^7,10	16.2	^7,10	18.0	^7,10	15.8	^7,10	15.9	⁷	15.9	⁷
France	—		—		19.8		19.4		19.4		19.3	⁶	19.7	⁶	19.9	⁶	—	—	14.7		14.1		14.2		14.1	⁶	14.3	⁶	14.6	⁶	—	—	10.4		10.3		10.3		9.7	⁶	9.6	⁶	9.4	⁶
Germany¹¹	20.7		20.3		19.8		18.8		18.8		18.7		18.3		18.0		16.9	14.6	15.7		15.6		15.5		15.5		15.2		15.0		23.7	21.0	13.9		13.9		14.0		14.3		14.3		14.0

Greece	—		—		13.4		11.3		11.1		10.6		10.1		10.1	¹²	—	—	10.8		8.2		7.9		8.0		7.7		7.7	¹²	—	—	10.5		8.4		8.8		8.3		7.3		7.3	¹²
Hungary	—		—		10.9		10.7		10.6		10.4		10.2		10.6		—	—	10.9		10.2		10.4		10.2		10.2		10.9		—	—	11.4	⁷	12.3		12.2		12.3		12.1		12.3
Iceland	—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—	—	12.7	⁸	11.4	⁸	11.3	⁸	10.6	⁸	10.4	⁸	10.0	⁸	—	—	9.7		11.1		10.8	⁷	10.8	⁷	10.2	⁷	10.6	⁷
Ireland	—		—		21.5		18.3		17.9		19.4		17.9		17.8		—	—	—		—		—		—		—		—		7.2	8.3	15.9	^4,7	14.3	^4,7	15.5	^4,7	14.6	^4,7	13.2	^2,4,7	12.8	^2,4,7
Italy	12.8		10.7		11.0		10.7		10.6		10.7		10.5		10.6	²	9.6	8.5	10.4		10.3		10.1		10.3		9.4		9.7	²	10.8	10.7	10.2		11.5		11.0		11.0		10.8		11.8	²

Japan	—		20.8	²	20.9		19.6		19.4		19.2		19.0		18.8		—	18.6	16.8		15.3		15.1		14.9		14.8		14.7		—	16.2	14.0		13.2	⁷	13.0	⁷	12.7	⁷	12.5	⁷	12.3	⁷
Korea, Republic of	—		—		32.1		29.1		28.0		26.7		25.6		24.1		—	—	21.5		20.4		20.8		20.8		20.5		20.2		—	—	20.9		15.9		16.0		15.9		16.2		16.5
Luxembourg	—		—		15.9	²	—		—		11.3	²	11.2	²	12.1	²	—	—	—		—		—		—		—		—		—	—	9.2	^2,4	9.0	^2,4	9.0	^2,4	9.0	^2,4,7	9.0	^2,4	9.1	^2,4
Mexico	—		—		27.2		28.5		28.3		28.0		28.0		28.0		—	—	34.8		33.7		33.7		33.4		33.3		33.9		—	—	26.5		25.2		25.8		25.4		25.7		25.8
Netherlands	20.2		19.2		16.8	⁵	15.9	⁵	15.9	⁵	15.3	⁵	15.6	⁵	15.8	^2,5	12.7	12.4	—		—		—		—		—		—		—	—	17.1	⁴	15.8	⁴	16.2	⁴	15.8	^4,7	15.7	^4,7	15.8	^2,4,7

New Zealand	20.1		19.1		20.6		16.7		18.1		17.7		17.5		17.1		—	—	19.9		17.3		16.8		16.6		16.2		16.2		—	—	13.1		12.5		12.9		12.7		13.3		12.8
Norway	—		—		12.4		11.9	²	—		10.9	²	11.0	²	10.8	²	—	—	9.9		10.5	²	—		10.2	²	10.2	²	10.1	²	—	—	9.7		9.6	^2,7	—		9.7	^2,7	9.8	^2,7	9.9	^2,7
Poland	—		—		12.7		—		11.7		11.5		11.0		10.5		—	—	11.5		—		12.7		12.6		12.4		12.9		—	—	16.9		—		12.9		12.8		12.2		12.2
Portugal	—		—		12.1		11.1		10.8		10.6		11.8		11.3		—	—	10.4		10.0		8.2		8.3		7.9		8.1		—	—	7.9		7.3		8.0		7.5	⁷	8.4	⁷	7.3	⁷
Slovak Republic	(⁹)		(⁹)		18.3		18.9		18.9		18.6		17.9		18.6		(⁹)	(⁹)	13.5		13.9		14.1		13.7		13.9		14.5		(⁹)	(⁹)	12.8		14.2		14.3		14.2		14.1		15.1

Spain	26.8		21.2		14.9		14.3		14.3		14.2		13.6		13.1		21.4	18.8	—		12.9		12.5		12.5		11.7		10.3		15.3	14.8	11.9	⁴	8.0		8.1		7.8		7.7		8.7
Sweden	11.6		10.6		12.8		12.1		12.2		12.1		12.3		12.2		10.8	10.2	12.8		11.9		12.0		11.4		11.5		11.4		13.1	11.9	15.2		14.0		14.0		13.8		13.6		14.7
Switzerland	—		—		—		14.3	²	14.6	²	15.1	²	14.8	²	15.4	²	—	—	—		11.2	²	11.7	²	12.3	²	12.3	²	12.1	²	—	—	—		11.1	²	10.5	^2,3	10.5	^2,3	10.6	^2,3	10.4	^2,3
Turkey	31.1		30.6		30.5		26.5		25.8		26.7		26.2		24.4		41.3	48.4	—		†		†		†		†		†		11.0	12.1	14.0		16.9		16.2		15.8		16.2		17.0
United Kingdom	19.7		22.0		21.2		21.1		20.7		19.8		19.4		20.2		—	18.5	17.6	³	17.1		17.0		16.7		16.7		15.0		11.1	13.9	12.5	³	12.3	^3,7	11.8	^3,7	11.6	^3,7	11.3	^3,7	12.4	⁷
United States	17.0		15.6		15.8		15.0		14.9		14.6		14.6		14.3		16.5	15.9	16.3		15.2		15.1		14.7		14.7		14.8		16.2	15.8	14.1		16.0		16.0		15.7		15.6		15.6

Reporting partner countries
Brazil	—		—		—		23.5		22.9		22.5		25.8		24.5		—	—	—		18.8		18.1		17.6		22.3		21.2		—	—	—		18.3		17.6		17.0		20.2		18.4
Estonia	(⁹)		(⁹)		—		—		—		14.1		14.4		16.4		(⁹)	(⁹)	—		—		—		12.3		11.4		16.0		(⁹)	(⁹)	—		—		—		13.3		12.2	⁷	12.4	⁷
Israel	—		—		—		16.9		17.3		17.2		16.4		16.3		—	—	—		14.1		13.4		14.1		12.4		12.2		—	—	—		12.2		13.4		13.2		11.8		10.9
Russian Federation	(⁹)		(⁹)		—		17.0		—		—		17.0	²	17.3	^2,13	(⁹)	(⁹)	—		—		—		—		—		—		(⁹)	(⁹)	—		10.3	^4,7	11.2	^7,14	9.9	^4,7,14	8.8	^4,7,13	8.7	^4,7,13
Slovenia	(⁹)		(⁹)		—		—		15.0		14.9		15.2		15.8		(⁹)	(⁹)	—		—		11.1		10.2		9.5		8.9		(⁹)	(⁹)	—		—		14.6		14.0	⁷	13.9	⁷	13.7	⁷

—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 is omitted for years in which less than 75 percent of the countries reported data.

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 part-time personnel in public institutions.

¹⁴ Excludes general programs.

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: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Online Education Database; Annual National Accounts, Vol. 1, 1997; and Education at a Glance, 2002 through 2010. (This table was prepared June 2010).

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