2015 NYC Class Size still increasing, says DOE
November 16, 2015
For more information, contact Leonie Haimson, leoniehaimson@gmail.com; 917-435-9329
NYC Class Size data released; average class sizes still increasing according to DOE
Number of K-3 students in classes of 30 or more risen sharply since 2011
On Friday, DOE released the latest class size data as of Oct. 31, 2015, citywide, by borough, district and by school. According to the DOE’s summary, “Average class size grew by 0.1 from 26.4 students per class in 2015.” They calculated that elementary and middle school class sizes remained flat, and high school class sizes increased slightly: http://tinyurl.com/ppxy8m8
Most worrisome, according to our analysis, the number of students in classes of 30 or more increased, especially in grades K-3, continuing the trend of the last few years. (In 2011, the DOE stopped complying with a side agreement to cap class sizes at 28 in grades 1-3, leading to sharp increases in these grades to 30 or more.)
According to our calculations, average class size in grades K-3 (GenEd, ICT and G&T) dropped slightly from the year before, but at this rate, it would take 47 years to reach the DOE’s original Contracts for Excellence goal of 19.9 students per class. (During his campaign, the Mayor promised to reduce class sizes to C4E levels and if necessary, raise revenue to fund this. See the filled out forms from a Mayoral forum at Murry Bergtraum HS in June 2013 and the NYC KidsPAC candidate survey from July 2013.)
In grades 4-8, average class size remained at 26.7, the same on average as the year before.
In high school core classes, we found that average class size dropped slightly by one tenth of a student per class, from Oct. 31, 2014 to Oct. 31, 2015, but at a rate that it would take 23 years to reach the C4E goal of 24.5 students per class.
By borough, the largest average class sizes for grades K-3 are in Queens (25.7), and in Staten Island for grades 4-8 (28.7) and high school (29.7).
We also took a look at which schools have the largest class sizes.
The largest Kindergarten classes, all averaging 30 students per class or more, far above the UFT cap of 25, are at PS 308 Clara Cardwell in D16 Brooklyn (ICT at 33); PS 181 (ICT at 33) and PS 191 Paul Robeson (GenEd at 31) both in D17 Brooklyn; PS 43 in D27 in Queens (ICT at NYC Public School Parents: 2015 NYC Class Size still increasing, says DOE: