Reducing Class Size Doesn’t Guarantee Higher Student Scores, Report Says

Teacher unions have long advocated reducing class sizes by hiring more teachers. A national education policy organization takes a different approach.

“Shrinking class size is not guaranteed to [improve] student outcomes,” Heather Peske, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), said during an Aug. 16 interview with The Epoch Times.

“Instead of hiring teachers that are not as effective, figure out how to get the effective teachers to the kids.”

To reduce overcrowded classrooms in the nation’s largest school district, New York City Public School officials will spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next four years.

The system will hire 12,000 more teachers, renovate buildings, and improve remote learning. The United Federation of Teachers estimates the district is over capacity by more than 300,000 students.

Related Stories

In Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school district prioritized reducing class size by 2026 under a $5 billion plan that includes double-digit raises for teachers and the addition of more counselors and psychologists in all schools.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, following a brief strike by its teachers’ union last year, agreed to phase in reduced sizes for every class in every school, according to United Teachers Los Angeles.

In Baltimore, the county legislature this summer overrode the county executive’s veto to ratify a moratorium on new housing projects near schools that are already overcapacity and cannot accommodate more families.

Such expensive and contested measures might be avoided if school districts first tried to use existing resources to deal with class size issues at the classroom level rather than imposing regulations at the district or state level, according to the NCTQ, which monitors class limit regulations across the country.

“Compelling evidence demonstrates that reducing class size, particularly for younger children, has a positive effect on student achievement overall and an especially significant impact on the education of disadvantaged children,” the American Federation of Teachers says on its website. The union recommends having classes with between 15 and 19 students.

NCTQ favors paying teachers more money to lead larger classrooms instead of hiring more teachers.

“To make this possible, though, districts must be able to evaluate teacher effectiveness and assign students accordingly,” the report said.

NTCQ also noted that federal pandemic relief money helped school staffing reach an all-time high level during the 2022-2023 school year. However, districts now face a fiscal cliff and won’t be able to afford the higher staffing levels on a long-term basis, the report said.

With the Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ESSER) program ending and class sizes expected to continue increasing, “districts should support targeted approaches to keep class sizes in check,” the report said.

However, Peske said she agreed with North Carolina’s approach, which requires class size limits only for grades K–3.

“Up to third grades, yes, a smaller-sized class is linked to achievement,” she said. “Maybe 15 or fewer students (is ideal), but it comes at a cost.”

In Minnesota, the Minneapolis and St. Paul districts set class size limits at 25 in schools where most students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Schools with higher-income student populations are set at 34 students.

In Boston, the teacher-to-student ratio is lower for classes serving special needs students than for the other classrooms, according to the NCTQ report.

The organization also advocates a mixed staffing model in which paraprofessionals, student teachers, or tutors help out in the most crowded classrooms.

“Highly effective teachers may earn more for teaching more students. These approaches also present an opportunity for teacher leadership and career advancement by having teachers serve as team leads,” the report said.

Peske said the national teacher shortage and school budget crunches across the country will prompt districts to spend their money smarter and consider right-sizing their faculties in the future.

Twenty-five states mandate class size limits or teacher-student ratios for all districts. All but eight have a waiver process to provide flexibility in certain circumstances.

“If you shrink class sizes, you have to hire more teachers,” she said. “Where will your additional teachers come from?”

School officials from the Baltimore County, New York City, and Los Angeles Unified school districts declined to be interviewed for this story.