The Class Size Crisis

Across the United States, the average class size in public elementary schools is approximately 19.1 students, while secondary schools average around 21.0 students (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2023). However, these numbers often fail to reflect the daily reality in many classrooms, where rosters frequently swell to 30 or more students. In Minneapolis Public Schools, for example, elementary class sizes averaged just under 22 students in the 2022–23 school year, with some classrooms exceeding 30 students (Minneapolis Public Schools Voices, 2023).

Overcrowded classrooms reduce the amount of individual attention students receive, strain teacher capacity, and increase classroom management challenges. Teachers often sacrifice their planning time to cover additional classes or duties, leading to chronic burnout and high attrition rates (National Education Association [NEA], 2023). As more educators leave the profession, class sizes grow even larger—creating a harmful cycle that school leaders continue to acknowledge but fail to address with meaningful systemic change.

School Choice: A Misdirected Solution

In the face of mounting dissatisfaction with the public education system, some lawmakers have turned to school choice as a supposed solution. Recent efforts include Texas advancing a $1 billion voucher bill and federal lawmakers pushing the Educational Choice for Children Act—legislation that provides tax incentives for families sending children to private institutions (Axios, 2023; America First Policy Institute, 2023).

While these policies promote the idea of parent empowerment, they divert public funds from neighborhood schools and fail to addreikonss core structural issues like overcrowding, underfunding, and teacher shortages. Choosing a different school doesn't guarantee smaller class sizes or better instruction. Instead, it often leaves the most vulnerable students behind in already struggling schools.

Inclusion in Name Only: When “General Education” Isn’t Least Restrictive

Roughly 15% of public school students receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and over 60% of these students spend at least 80% of their day in general education settings (NCES, 2023; University of New Hampshire, 2023). On the surface, this placement may appear inclusive, but when the general education environment is overcrowded and under-resourced, it is far from the “least restrictive environment” promised by law.

In many classrooms, over half of the students may qualify for academic or behavioral interventions, stretching one teacher to support a wide spectrum of needs without adequate staffing or support. The result? Students fall through the cracks, teachers are overwhelmed, and the purpose of inclusion is undermined.

Real Solutions: Structural Change Over Surface-Level Fixes

To truly solve the class size crisis, we need bold, transformative approaches—not band-aid solutions. Instead of investing in temporary professional development or blanket inclusion policies, real reform means:

Implementing Class Size Caps: Legislate enforceable limits on student-to-teacher ratios, particularly in high-need districts.

Fully Funding Support Staff: Add paraprofessionals, co-teachers, behavioral interventionists, and counselors to classrooms, not just for students with IEPs, but for all.

Redesigning School Schedules: Create flex periods, smaller learning cohorts, and intervention blocks built into the day.

Rebuilding Teacher Pipelines: Offer loan forgiveness, salary increases, housing incentives, and reduced bureaucratic burdens to attract and retain teachers.

Until we restructure how we deliver public education—not just where students go to school—the cycle of overcrowding and attrition will continue.

Question for Readers: Do you think your child's school is doing enough to address classroom overcrowding—or is it time to rethink how we fund and structure education?

In solidarity,

The Merchant Ship Collective

References

America First Policy Institute. (2023). The Educational Choice for Children Act. https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/the-educational-choice-for-children-act

Axios. (2023). Texas House advances $1 billion school voucher bill. https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-dallas-fb46f3d0-1afb-11f0-875b-2dd9961fbbdc

Minneapolis Public Schools Voices. (2023). Small class sizes are the norm at Minneapolis Public Schools. https://www.mplsschoolsvoices.news/posts/small-class-sizes

National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Average class size in public schools. https://nces.ed.gov

National Education Association. (2023). Class sizes: A growing issue among educators. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/class-sizes-growing-issue-among-educators

University of New Hampshire. (2023). Special education and inclusive classrooms. https://cps.unh.edu/blog/2023/07/special-education-making-classrooms-inclusive