Class Sizes in Carlsbad Schools: Fact or Fiction?

Much has been said about class size in Carlsbad schools by candidates running for the school board. All agree they’re too large, some citing reports of classrooms filled with more than 40 students. One candidate, claiming the average class size stood at nearly 30 students compared with under 23 in all of San Diego County, cited a three-year-old report issued during the recession, before Prop 30 brought more school funding and after a -6.4 percent drop in per pupil spending over the previous 4 years (Legislative Analyst’s Office Report, February 7, 2011).

I asked Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Rick Grove for this year’s actual numbers. He reminded me of the district’s funding plan to reduce class sizes this year and next, pointing to the 23 new teachers who’ve been added since last year’s school year began. The district’s average class size alone can be misleading, he told me, because of the differences in school populations and the requirements for smaller classes to accommodate science labs and special needs students. So district-wide grade level averages provide a more meaningful picture of what students and teachers are experiencing. Here are this year’s numbers:

K-3 -- 27 (State law requires a reduction to no larger than 24.1)
4-5 -- 32
6-8 -- 34
HS --- 37

As a high school teacher many years ago I remember well the challenges of teaching English to a classroom filled with 37 hormone-happy sophomores. Yes, CUSD classes are too large. The board and administration show they are working on that. When voters go to the polls in two weeks they may want to consider which candidates are most likely to collaborate, rather than grandstand to solve the problem.