How Many Kids Are Typically in Your Child(ren)'s Class(es) at a Public School?

I believe FL just passed a class size law - my daughter has never had more than 17-18 in her class. She starts 4th grade on Monday.

It used to make my heart heavy too. My son had 25 kids in his K class last year. It was supposed to be an excellent school but felt like herding cattle.
This year, we are homeschooling so only 2 kids in his daily class and small group socialization :)

K through 3 have up to 20, 4th and 5th up to around 28-30. K classes each have a classroom assistant 4 days a week, 1st through 5th classes have shared assistants. Small class sizes are possible largely due to extensive local funding (parcel taxes and family/community contributions to city-wide and school-wide non profit educational funds.

I teach HS in Arizona and we are maxing out at over 40. This is an Arizona thing. Our legislature does not protect public education. I don't usually get political at all on message boards but we are vastly underfunded for public education. Research your legislators...see how they vote. But I also believe that good teachers overcome class size and can still do a great job.

I know that technically the class size for kindergarten is 22 in Texas but they will go as high as 25. 1st-5th is usually 25 students, 6-7 is usually around 30, and high school is usually around 30-35. Just depends on school district and school. Some of the magnet schools purposely limit their class sizes in order to limit the number of invitations given out.

I teach in Kansas, and at my school enrollment is very low this year. I currently have 22 in my class, but this is if you count all of the kids who have not enrolled, plus the kids who have, and the kids they have added to my list. Most of my kids will show up during the first two weeks of school to enroll, so it's hard to say. We are a highly mobile school; last year I had 24 at one point, and ended the year with 16.
I have to say, I think 22 is a blessing, because I know that other states have WAY more kids in a classroom. I personally feel like anything over 20 is too much.

we are in a chicago suburb. My youngest son has been in public school since kindergarten. there are always between 22 and 28 children per class. my older three all attended catholic school there were between 30 and 34 per class

Why are you shocked and saddened? None of the schools that have been mentioned have had an unusually high number. They are higher than perhaps a preschool class which has usually only 12 to 16 but 20 to 30 kids is not an unusual number in a class.

When we lived in CA our son was going to go to Kinder with 38 other kids and one teacher - 40% of those children didn't speak english at all.
In WA he went to Kinder with 24 kids in his class with a teacher, an aide, and multiple parent helpers - 3 of the kids didn't speak english.
We are hoping to go to Korea this year and he will possibly attend first grade in a DoD school with about 10 kids!

For my son's class, which is Kindergarten: 22 kids.

For my daughter, who is in 4th grade = 26 kids.

However, the school has assistants, for the classes.
Kindergarten has this regularly everyday.
Then there are also volunteer parents.

What are the averages, in your kids' classes????????????
Can you post that? Too?

All I know is, in certain years, the population, can be very high.
In one grade level, in which there are usually 4 classes, this particular grade level has 5 classes. THUS, the school's teachers, HAD TO, shuffle around and then teach that grade level, which is usually not their grade level.
Thus, in a given district, kid populations, can really increase in size. IN certain years.
Then, in certain grade levels, there is a few that will leave, in order to go to Private schools. Usually in 4th grade.

Some school districts, are just FULL of grade school kids/families.
And because of that, there are MORE kids, entering school.
A school, cannot control how many kids there are living in a neighborhood.
And then, enters into school.

AND some families, have TWINS. Thus, more kids in each grade level. In my daughter's class for example, there are 3 sets of twins. Thus, each family may have TWO children, in that same, grade level.

Thus, it is not directly the SCHOOL's fault... that there are SO many kids in each class.
Schools have: limited classrooms and campus size... and a limited number of actual classrooms, available for EACH grade level.
They also cannot just BUILD more classrooms.

They have budgets... thus cannot just hire more Teachers.
And, they CANNOT control, how many kids are living in their school district and then, whoever gets a District Exception... to transfer to that school. Too.
So, schools are really burdened.

Some neighborhoods just have TONS of kids/families, living in it.
Especially in the 'good' public school districts.
Families, move to good school districts.
The school or community, cannot control that influx....of how many kids live in a District.
Nor how many kids, are at the entry age to enter school.

Some districts, also have very few kids. Hence, the school closures, They cannot justify, keeping that school open. It costs big bucks, to stay open for just a small population of kids.
Hence, the school district lines/boundaries of each district, then gets shuffled around... and the kids' from closed schools, than have to, attend the next adjacent school campus. Thereby, increasing that school's student population.
Not that the school, can, accommodate, ALL those kids.
NOR can they have or hire more Teachers. Nor can they, just build more classrooms to decrease class size.

My son's school in Georgia has 7 kindergarten classes, all with 16-17 students in them. Each class has 1 teacher and 1 parapro. I was surprised by this. When I grew up (in NJ), I think my smallest class was 25.

24-26 kids per class

in fl we just passed a class room size amendment. vpk and kinder can only have 18 kids. 1st grade thru 5th (i think) can only have 20 per teacher. the teachers don't typically have paraprofessionals or aides in the classes anymore either. before the classroom amendment though my daughter had 30 kids in her 1st grade class.

My son's public school in PA, K-4 is about 22.

Tennessee has 20 per room for Kindergarten thru 3rd I think then up to 25 per room as they get older.

Wow! 30 kindy kids... I can't even imagine! The full-day kindy class had 24 students last year - too many! The two half day sessions had 20 and... Hmmm... 18 or so, I think. I have taught 3rd grade for several years now, the most I've had in my class is 28, the least is 22. I'm teaching 4th grade this coming year and I'm expected to have 26 to start - that will likely go up by one or two kids. Last year the 4th grade teachers had 30 and 31 students by January. But, lower grade levels (in my state) are kept at a lower ratio. I'm reading these low numbers and wondering what our problem is!

The averages are going to be higher than normal all over the country. I read that 58% of all school districts increased their class sizes this school year from last. Honestly, though, I have to say that while class sizes can be an issue, teachers in eras past had 40 on a regular basis. I think it's more about effective teachers in the classrooms than the number of students. There are some down sides to classes that are too small, too.

kids in my kid's classes have ranged from 18-24 kids per class , and K-2nd have 2 teachers in each class , a teacher and a para-pro .

My son is the only one that has been in school so far. Full day kindergarten, 1st and 2nd. He has always had between 27-30 kids in his class. We live in WA state.
L.

Manassas, VA - 21 - 25 kids.

The size is typically 25-35 here in grade school and middle school. In high school it can get up to 40-45

FL has the class size amendment and it just got overturned and raised. It passed a few years ago, last year was the first year it went into full effect. With no more than 18 kids in a class K-3 and no more than 24 4-5 grade. Now (I'm not 100% sure on this, I have been out of the classroom for 2 years and my kids are not inschool yet) I think it is K-3 can have 20 and 4-5 can have 28. My husband teaches 3rd grade (he wasn't sure on the size limits, he just shows up and teaches whoever shows up with him :)) he will have 17 kids on Monday (day 1 of the school year).
His school has one assistant per grade level, so they are not in a classroom all day. They are mostly there for copies, laminating, bathroom breaks, lunch duty, etc.

I was also educated in FL public schools and I remember we had 33 in a class before getting an assistant. Then we could go up to 38 in elementary.

Our kindergarten classes will have about 18-20 max. 3 classes with that average.

There's 20 children in my child classroom since prek, she's in second grade now, from Oklahoma.

I think Texas has a cap of 22 students per teacher in K-4. A district has to ask for a waiver from the state to go over that amount.

I know we have had a wide variety from 19 in one class ( that has been the smallest and that was my sons first kindergarten class, it was 22 by the end of the year) and my daughter has had as many as 30 in one class before. I know that at Kristen's school they asked for parent volunteers a lot to come in and do one on one activities with the kids in the classroom and to read to groups. No I do not like the larger class sizes but I have never thought that the teacher did not have a handle on the class. I volunteered and also chaperoned on several field trips and always was so impressed with the way the kids behaved and the control the teacher had over the class.

It depends. We've had school closures so the class sizes are bigger. The number of kids don't change, but budgetarily, schools with full staffs can't stay open.
That's California.

My kids have about 20 in Middle School and 25 for High School. In Elementary School the classes were usually about 16 - 18 - I think the largest class was 20.

But growing up in the '60s all of my classes were around 30 kids...baby boom kids - the school couldn't keep up with all of us.

My son goes to a charter school in Phoenix and his class is capped at 25. There are three 6th grade classrooms as there have been in each grade level since he was in kindergarten. They have a waiting list for most grades. Our district has class sizes up to 35 in some cases. The districts I have been a physical therapist in have had anywhere from 28-35 kids in the classrooms and most campuses are maxed out for classrooms. I once was in a title 1 district that had 38 kindergarteners in each classroom with one aide. It wasn't even controlled chaos at that point! Thankfully, they hired another teacher during the first month so it was better but class sizes are too high in Arizona as a whole which is why my son has attended a good charter school since he entered kindergarten.

when we were in CA my daughter's K class had 30 kids with only 1 teacher. When we moved to VA her class had 22 kids with 3 teachers

My daughter teaches at a private international Christian school in Seoul, South Korea...

This year, her 2nd grade class has 5 students....

Needless to say, that is one reason she teaches overseas! Small classes, and more respect for the teachers.

No more than 20 in K-3, no more than 25 in 4-5.
BUT...
I live in a wealthy district in California. One of the things we pay for (through an ADDITIONAL parcel tax) is smaller class sizes. We also contribute extra money to pay for art, music, drama and PE.
We have family less than 30 minutes from us. They get no extra funding (public voted against it) and their schools max out at 35 kids per class, K through 5, and they have NO arts or PE, at all :(
It's not much different in the private schools, class sizes are similar (unless you go to a VERY expensive school) and they still hold fundraisers to pay for all the extras, like the arts.

in some areas in Peoria there can be up to 30 kids in a class

I think the average is 20-25

Seattle wa. 25 -30 kids in our neighborhood schools.. So we decided to go to a small Christian school that goes k-12. 12 students in kindergarten and my older dd 3rd grade class 11students.. But also my oldest dd needed help in reading and the small class size has helped so much!
L.

grade k to 3, 20. grades 4-6, 28

I don't remember what the maximum was SUPPOSED to be, but I know that the last year I was teaching in Lawton, OK, I had 30 kids in one of my classes, and the others were all around 25-27

SE Georgia, in a smaller zone in our county, my daughter had 13 in her 3rd grade class. 14 last year in her 4th grade class. And I was just looking through her "yearbook" and each of the three 5th grade classes had 22, 22 and 20 students.

My son was in the middle school in our county and they had around 25 per class, I believe, except for PE and other "exploratory" type classes.

20-25...In KG last year they had to add a fourth teacher as well. Then this year one of the KG teachers moved to first grade with them.

This will be our first year, my son will attend an Early Learners Pre-K ... (special needs school) and they say 17 but we will find out.

my son is entering third grade this year - and he has had between 16 and 18 students in his classes thus far. i'm curious to see if that changes this year with all the budget cuts and downsizing that took place last year. i'll have my middle child in school his year, he begins kinder - he went to a twice a week preschool that had 12 kids/2 teachers per class. i do remember having 30-31 kids per class when i was growing up, and i went to a magnet school, the education was absolutely top-notch - so it CAN be done :)

My daughter's classes have averaged 20 kids through 2nd grade.

Hi K.-

I am in a suburb in the Chicagoland area. My twins had 18 kids in each of their classrooms in 3rd grade. (The bilingual 3rd grade class had about the same amount.... maybe 2 or 3 more students.) The 3 third grade classrooms have a total of 5 sets of twins, too.

Kindergarten this past year had only 14 in the am and 11 in the pm! Great for the teacher and for the children! We are very fortunate to have low numbers and a lot of space.

My sil lives in Chicago and even though she likes the school overall and says the ratings are great at that school, it is crowded! Her twin boys finished 1st grade recently and each boy had over 30 students in their classrooms. (They also don't have a lunch room to eat in so they eat in their classrooms and there is no art room. The art teacher comes to the classrooms with her supplies on a portable cart.) They also have trailers set up as classrooms for the second graders due to lack of space.

I think my 2nd grader will have about 23 or so this year. My 8th grader had over 30 in each of his classes, and I teach high school and had over 30 in most of my classes last year as well. I'm expecting the same this year. :(

My daughters Kindergarten class had 17 kids in it last year, and this was including her. We live in Maryland.

My preschoolers and my 2nd grader each have 20 kids in their classroom. Both have a teacher and a teacher's aid. Less would be better always, but I think the number is completely manageable. Hoping it never needs to be more.

In my district we range anywhere from 24-32 (32 is the max). Typically, when I teach I have around 28.

My aunt has 4 kids, 3 of them in elem. school, in Utah and at the charter school there were 7-10 kids in the class, but at the public school there were 20-30.... I know what I'll be looking into lol.

my daughters kindergarten class had 20 kids and two teachers. Her 1st grade class had the same, maybe 22 kids. We live in MA.