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Digest of Education Statistics
2019 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 601.60. Teachers' statutory teaching and total working time and average class size in public elementary and secondary schools, by level of education and country: 2017 and 2018
Country Statutory teaching time, 20181 Total statutory working time2
in hours, 2018
Average class size, 2017
Number of weeks of teaching Number of days of teaching Net teaching time in hours
Elemen-tary school Junior high school (lower sec-ondary)3 Senior high school (upper sec-ondary)3 Elemen-tary school Junior high school (lower sec-ondary)3 Senior high school (upper sec-ondary)3 Elemen-tary school Junior high school (lower sec-ondary)3 Senior high school (upper sec-ondary)3 Elemen-tary school Junior high school (lower sec-ondary)3 Senior high school (upper sec-ondary)3 Elemen-tary school Junior high school (lower secondary)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
OECD average4 38 38 37 183 183 182 783 709 667 1,612 1,634 1,629 21   23
Australia5 41 41 41 196 196 196 870 811 811 --- --- --- 23   21
Austria5 38 38 38 180 180 180 779 607 589 1,776 1,776 18   21
Belgium (Flemish)5 37 37 37 159 160 160 748 667 622 ---   ---
Belgium (French)5 36 36 36 179 179 179 716 657 596 962 ---   ---
Canada5 37 37 37 183 183 183 797 744 746 --- --- --- ---   ---

Chile6
38 38 38 178 178 178 1,063 1,063 1,063 1,962 1,962 1,962 28   29
Colombia5 40 40 40 200 200 200 1,000 880 880 1,800 1,800 1,800 25   31
Czech Republic5 39 39 39 187 187 187 617 617 589 1,560 1,560 1,560 21   22
Denmark7,8 405 1,680 1,680 1,680 22   22
Estonia5 35 35 35 172 172 172 585 602 568 1,540 1,540 1,540 19   19

Finland9
38 38 38 188 188 188 677 592 550 20   19
France5 36 36 36 162 900 684 684 1,607 1,607 1,607 23   25
Germany5 40 40 40 193 193 193 800 744 717 1,769 1,769 1,769 21   24
Greece6 36 36 38 177 178 186 664 614 642 17   21
Hungary9 38 38 38 180 180 179 648 648 644 1,632 1,632 1,632 22   21

Iceland5
37 37 36 180 180 175 624 624 472 1,800 1,800 1,800 19   20
Ireland5 37 33 33 181 165 165 905 726 726 25   ---
Israel5 38 36 36 182 174 172 843 696 623 1,235 1,178 1,195 27   29
Italy9 39 39 39 172 172 172 755 617 617 19   21
Japan10 40 40 39 201 201 196 739 610 511 1,891 1,891 1,891 27   32

Korea, Republic of10
38 38 38 190 190 190 675 526 547 1,520 1,520 1,520 23   28
Latvia5 35 35 35 170 170 170 1,020 1,020 1,020 1,760 1,760 1,760 17   16
Lithuania5 34 36 36 170 181 180 612 652 648 1,584 1,584 1,584 17   18
Luxembourg --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 15   19
Mexico5 40 40 36 195 195 174 780 1,021 853 24   28

Netherlands6
40 --- --- 200 --- --- 930 750 750 1,659 1,659 1,659 23 11 ---
New Zealand5 38 38 38 192 191 190 922 840 760 1,616 ---   ---
Norway6 38 38 38 190 190 190 741 663 523 1,688 1,688 1,688 ---   ---
Poland6 37 37 37 178 178 176 561 481 475 1,488 1,488 1,472 19   22
Portugal6 38 37 37 172 167 167 774 612 612 1,308 1,283 1,283 21   22

Slovak Republic5
39 39 39 191 191 191 783 649 573 1,560 1,560 1,560 18   19
Slovenia5 38 38 38 190 190 190 627 627 570 --- --- --- 18   20
Spain5 37 37 36 176 176 171 880 713 693 1,425 1,425 1,425 21   25
Sweden 1,767 1,767 1,767 20   21
Switzerland7,8 38 39 38 183 187 183 785 748 621 1,930 1,930 1,930 19   19

Turkey5
38 38 38 180 180 180 720 504 504 1,592 1,592 1,592 22   26
United Kingdom --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 28   24
England 38 38 38 190 190 190 1,265 1,265 1,265 ---   ---
Scotland6 38 38 38 190 190 190 855 855 855 1,365 1,365 1,365 ---   ---
United States7,12 36 36 36 180 180 180 1,004 966 966 2,016 2,032 2,047 21   27

Other reporting countries
                             
Brazil 42 42 42 200 200 200 --- --- --- 24   28
Costa Rica5 41 41 41 198 198 198 1,188 1,267 1,267 15   35
Russian Federation7 34 35 35 170 210 210 561 483 483 --- --- --- 20   20
---Not available.
†Not applicable according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
1 Statutory teaching time refers to the number of hours per year that a full-time teacher is expected to teach a group or class of students (net contact time for instruction), as set by policy, teachers' contracts, or other official documents. It excludes overtime and preparation time.
2 Total statutory working time refers to the number of hours that a full-time teacher is expected to work. It excludes overtime.
3 General programs only.
4 Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting OECD countries, to which each country or country component reporting data contributes equally.
5 Typical teaching time reported.
6 Maximum teaching time reported.
7 Actual teaching time reported.
8 Teaching time data are for 2017.
9 Minimum teaching time reported.
10 Average planned teaching time in each school at the beginning of the school year.
11 Includes preprimary education.
12 Teaching time data are for 2016.
NOTE: In this table, elementary school corresponds to International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2011 level 1 (U.S. grades 1 through 6), junior high school corresponds to ISCED 2011 level 2 (U.S. grades 7 through 9), and senior high school corresponds to ISCED 2011 level 3 (U.S. grades 10 through 12).
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance, 2019, and Online Education Database, retrieved September 29, 2019, from https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx. (This table was prepared September 2019.)

2019 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest