OT - What is acceptable student/teacher ratio in your schools?

[karajeboo]

I just took my DD to second grade orientation only to find there are 24 kids in her class and one teacher! The county student/teacher ratio is 18/1 which would include the high schools with higher classroom counts I would imagine. Last year she was in a "double" class with 28 students and two teachers.

Am I being unreasonable to expect a smaller class size for second grade?

BTW, in her old school system, before we moved, she had 17 children in her kindergarten class, and 18 in her 1st grade class. I'm so upset right now I don't know what to do!!!

 

[kopmom]

I believe ours is about 20 to 1

 

[robsmom]

My DS had 22 in 3rd last year. He has been right around 20 each year. The high school classes are not necessarily bigger because there are science labs and speciality classes that may not have as many kids!! Plus the county ratio may include special-ed classes with less kids.

I would not get myself upset over it unless there is something you can do about it. How many classes do they have at his grade in the school - are they all the same number? Sometimes schools just have an odd age group that has more kids but not enough to have another entire class.

I had 29 kids in my 5th and 6th grade class because they decided we no longer had enough to have 2 classrooms (which all grades had a my school). We went from the smallest classes (16/17) to the biggest and it was fine.

 

[dahrjo]

DS6 had 28!!! in his first grade class last year! We were all so worried about that! With one teacher! They went from 3 classrooms to 2 classrooms, because they said they didn't have enough kids for the 3rd teacher. Now, this year for 2nd grade they are back to 3 classrooms for the kids this year. It really made no sense to anyone.
The teacher did wonderful with the kids though. I'm sure she could have spent more time with some with a smaller number of kids, but overall we were all okay with the year. (Wouldn't want it again, though!) She did get a para-pro that she had to share with the other classroom. That helped some. Also, part of the year she got a student teacher. So, she wasn't completely alone all year.

 

[wife5080]

I am a second grade teacher and will have 24 in my classroom this year. It will be okay, 24 really isn't that bad. One year I had over 30 kndg. students and 1 aide. That was a nightmare.

 

[karajeboo]

Y'all are helping... a little! I did meet several of the parents and about 1/2 the kids and about 6 of the families live in my subdivison so I know them all a little. That helps. And the kids that I met all look like "good" kids, if ya know what I mean!

It's just that there was a new elementary school built this year so 1/2 the students from last year are gone and I just don't think they planned well for this.....

 

[daisyduck123]

24 in 2nd grade? That's not bad at all.

I teach 1st grade & each of my teammates & myself will have 23 or 24 students....and there are no aides here.

Our class max. is SUPPOSED to be:

1st & 2nd - 20 students
3rd - 5th - 28 students

Our 4th & 5th grades always have 30-32 students

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

Acceptable in our school is 19 or less per class.

 

[bigbabyblues]

DS is in 2nd grade this year and they have 10 students and one teacher. For K and 1st, there was also a part-time aide with the same 10/1. This is at a private school.

The public schools have anywhere from 18-26, according to my friends. One teacher, no aide.

 

[imthatgirl]

the rule here is max 28/1. but my daughters school never maxes out. she in 3rd grade and this year she will have 17/1.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

When they figure ratios, they usually include the special education classes which might contain only 5 students. This brings down the ratio for all classes.

When I taught second, I usually had between 20-23.

Now my DD in first only has 17 this year! Hooray!

 

[TwinsinCA]

In CA the max through third grade is 20. They always start high and they are given something like 3 weeks open new classes and move kids around so no class is more than 20. We always start a little over but this year is the worst so far.

Every state has different rules about this sort of thing. Unfortunately some states allow high ratios. Call your district and ask if it can stay this way or if a class will be added.

 

[averysmom]

There are no actual set ratios. The rumour has always been that they will put 32 kids in a class, but not 33.

Ds had 24 in kindy last year. I taught grade 1/2 split with 28 one year. The highest number I'd ever taught was 31 - but that was grade 6. I'd say our average class sizes are 25-26.

HTH!

 

[sk!mom]

In Texas, class size is limited to 22 through 4th grade. My kids never had more than that until middle or high school.

 

[ajk912]

I wouldn't even bat an eye at 24 kids for 2nd grade.

I am worried about 4th grade, though. That's when kids really start acting up more. 2nd graders are still kind of angels- sort of. I have a kid going into 2nd and 4th grade, and I noticed that there are 6 3rd grade teachers and 5 4th grade teachers. So either a class of kids just disapears...or 6 classes of kids get divvied up to 5 classes in grade 4.

 

[Feeln'Froggy]

More students will register after school starts and if all the classes are at
24+ there is a good chance that there will be enough for another class.

At least that is what happened at my DDs new school last year.

 

[SnowWhite607]

I think the limit is 20 for my DD - 2nd grade. She got lucky and only has 16 in her class this year. Its public school.

I teach kinder at a private school and I have 14 kids with an aide.

 

[MM27]

My district caps elementary classes at 22 students with one teacher. When I student taught in another district there were 27 students in each class (1st grade)

 

[LittleSeacow]

I teach 6th grade (in an elementary school) and our cap is 28. I had 35 last year and my list for this year already has 32.. (that number will be sure to grow as our city is very mobile and most non-English speaking parents dont know when school starts so they will wait until they see other kids walking to school to sign them up)

That many 6th graders in an inner city school...not fun!

But very rewarding!

 

[jessica52877]

Wow! I have way more in my class when I was in school! Usually around 28.