Class-Size Tracker


Frequently Asked Questions

Smaller Class Sizes

What did we do to reduce class sizes?

To make class sizes smaller, we needed more teachers and more classrooms.  To meet our target for smaller class sizes, we funded over 5,000 additional primary teachers and built or renovated nearly 2,000 classrooms.

In 2008-09, we reached our goal of 100% of primary classes having 23 or fewer students and 90% of primary classes having 20 or fewer students.

Since coming to office, the government has increased total education funding by almost $6 billion, or 40%.

Is full-day kindergarten included these results?

Classes under the government’s new full-day kindergarten program are not part of the primary class size calculations.

Classes under the new full-day kindergarten program differ from other primary classes by having two educators – one teacher and one early childhood educator – working side-by-side during the day in the classroom.

However, if full-day kindergarten classes were included in primary class size calculations, 97% of primary classes would have 23 or fewer students.

Why do some full-day kindergarten classes have more than 23 students?

Classes under the government’s new full-day kindergarten program differ from other primary classes by having two educators – one teacher and one early childhood educator – working side-by-side during the day in the classroom.   Full-day kindergarten classes are funded based on an average of 26 students per class or a ratio of 13 students to an adult.

The government had a target of 90% of all primary classes having 20 students or less. Have school boards reached it?

With additional government funding and hard work at the board and school levels, 90.2% of primary classes have 20 students or fewer. This goal was first achieved in 2008-09.

What about schools that are still overcrowded? What is the province doing to help them?

Some school boards may need new classrooms to make room for smaller primary classes. To help, the province provided funding to support projects to build and renovate about 2,000 classrooms.

Why not limit all primary classes to 20 students? Why are some allowed to be bigger?

Ten percent of classes can have up to three extra students. This gives boards flexibility when students move and change schools.

How did the government reduce primary class sizes in Ontario?

To make class sizes smaller, we needed more teachers and more classrooms.  To meet our target for smaller class sizes, we funded over 5,000 additional primary teachers and built or renovated nearly 2,000 classrooms.

Do smaller primary classes mean larger classes in other grades?

No. In fact, the average class size in grades 4 to 8 has actually gone down since 2003-04, and is now under 25. However, because these are board-wide averages, class sizes may vary. In some cases, a class might have more than 25 students, while in other cases it might have fewer. In 2010-11, the government is investing $23 million to fund almost 260 more elementary teachers to help reduce class sizes in Grades 4 to 8.

Have smaller primary classes meant more combined grades?

Provincewide, the percentage of combined classes in the elementary grades has increased. But, at some boards, this percentage has actually decreased.

Elementary schools have always had combined grades. Several studies have found that students in combined classes do as well as students in single-grade classes.

Teachers use a variety of strategies to teach students in combined grades. These strategies help ensure that teachers are able to look at the individual learning needs and progress of each student. The ministry will continue to provide support in this area.

Learn more about combined classrooms

How can I get more information or share my ideas?

Contact the Ministry of Education by e-mail, telephone or mail.