Average class size in public primary schools, middle schools, high schools, and schools with combined grades, by classroom type and selected school characteristics: 2011–12

  Primary schools   Middle schools   High schools   Combined grade schools  
Selected public school
district 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 21.6 26.2 16.7 25.5 17.7 24.2 16.6 19.0  
 
School classification
Traditional public 21.6 26.2 16.7 25.5 17.6 24.2 15.3 18.2
Charter school 22.5 26.9 21.9 24.0 23.7 22.2 22.6 22.7
 
Community type 
City ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡ ‡
Suburban  22.0 28.7 15.9 26.1 17.1 25.3 17.1 21.7
Town  21.3 27.4 16.1 24.1 21.3 22.1 13.3 17.5
Rural  20.8 23.1 17.8 25.1 15.4 22.4 16.7 17.5
 
School enrollment
Less than 100 14.1 10.3 21.7 16.4 19.8 11.5 11.1 10.7 !
100-199 18.3 18.3 22.3 20.2 17.1 15.0 11.6 11.1
200-499 21.0 25.9 16.6 23.4 16.0 19.6 16.4 17.9
500–749 22.5 28.9 17.5 25.4 23.3 ! 22.1 18.9 20.0
750–999 22.4 23.9 14.3 26.2 19.1 22.8 20.2 24.1
1,000 or more 22.1 31.7 17.1 27.3 16.6 26.5 22.0 24.8
 
Percent of K-12 students who were
approved for free or
reduced-price lunches
0-34  23.1 27.3 17.5 26.3 16.5 24.7 16.7 19.5
35-49  21.3 27.2 19.1 25.8 15.8 24.4 18.3 19.9
50-74  20.2 24.3 15.9 25.1 20.0 23.7 15.9 18.8
75 or more  21.8 27.5 15.7 24.2 19.2 23.7 15.7 18.1
     School did not participate in free
or reduced-price lunch program		 20.3 16.9 12.0 ! 23.8 18.4 19.9 18.8 19.1  
                                 
! 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).
‡ Reporting standards not met. The response rate is below 50 percent.
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, 27 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; 14 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, 2 percent in high schools, and 1 percent in combined schools.
SOURCE:U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Teacher Data File," 2011–12.

Back Arrow  Back Download Excel Excel File (14 KB) Download SE Excel Excel File (14 KB)