Table 7. Average class size in public primary schools, middle schools, high schools, and schools with combined grades, by classroom type and selected school characteristics: 2015

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National Teacher and Principal Survey

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Average class size in public primary schools, middle schools, high schools, and schools with combined grades, by classroom type and selected school characteristics: 2015–16

	Primary schools		Middle schools			High schools		Combined grade schools
Selected school characteristic	Average class size for teachers in self-contained classes	Average class size for teachers in departmentalized instruction	Average class size for teachers in self-contained classes		Average class size for teachers in departmentalized instruction	Average class size for teachers in self-contained classes	Average class size for teachers in departmentalized instruction	Average class size for teachers in self-contained classes	Average class size for teachers in departmentalized instruction
All public schools	21.2	26.5	14.3		26.8	15.0	26.0	15.7	21.8

School classification
Traditional public	21.2	26.7	14.2		26.8	14.7	26.0	14.1	19.4
Charter school	21.9	24.6	17.0	!	26.2	21.7	25.1	21.7	28.3

Community type
City¹	21.7	27.6	15.5		27.8	15.9	27.6	15.7	26.0
Suburban	21.7	27.3	14.0		27.2	14.8	26.6	15.9	25.4
Town	20.7	23.6	13.8		25.8	14.7	24.0	14.4	19.1
Rural	19.5	25.0	13.0		24.8	14.1	23.0	15.9	18.1

Student enrollment
Less than 100	13.3	16.5	9.5		13.6	18.5	21.8	8.2	10.7
100-199	18.6	19.0	16.1		20.9	14.6	18.1	11.4	14.2
200-499	20.4	25.3	14.6		25.1	14.4	22.4	15.9	18.2
500-749	21.8	27.5	15.4		26.3	13.8	22.6	18.0	23.8
750-999	22.5	28.2	13.1		26.9	17.4	24.1	20.3	26.9
1,000 or more	23.6	29.3	13.5		29.6	14.7	27.9	23.6	31.1

Percent of K-12 students who were approved for free or reduced-price lunches
0-34	21.7	26.8	14.4		27.5	12.7	26.8	17.2	21.2
35-49	21.1	27.9	12.3		26.4	14.9	25.1	15.8	19.5
50-74	21.2	27.1	12.5		26.4	16.7	26.3	15.4	21.7
75 or more	21.0	25.7	16.5		26.5	14.8	25.8	13.4	19.0
School did not participate in free or reduced-price lunch program	20.8	23.7	20.8	!	25.2	18.4	21.2	20.6	30.6
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 percent and 50 percent (i.e., the standard error is at least 30 percent and less than 50 percent of the estimate).
¹ Interpret data on city teachers with caution. After nonresponse adjustments, the nonresponse bias for this category is greater than for other characteristics.
NOTE: Self-contained classes are defined as instruction to the same group of students all or most of the day in multiple subjects, and departmentalized instruction is defined as instruction to several classes of different students most or all of the day in one or more subjects. Among all public school teachers, 26 percent teach self-contained classes in primary schools, 1 percent in middle schools, 1 percent in high schools, and 1 percent in combined schools; 7 percent teach departmentalized classes in primary schools, 14 percent in middle schools, 25 percent in high schools, and 4 percent in combined schools; 15 percent teach other types of classes, such as elementary subject specialist classes, team-taught classes, and "pull-out" or "push-in" classes in primary schools, 3 percent in middle schools, 3 percent in high schools, and 1 percent in combined schools. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Teacher Data File," 2015–16.

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