Understanding the Class Size Guidelines Increase
Following the Montgomery County Board of Education’s approval of the Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget on June 11, class size guidelines will increase by one student in many classrooms for the next school year. This decision, while not ideal, was necessary due to an approximately $30 million reduction from the requested funding. Teacher vacancies due to retirements and resignations mean that it is highly unlikely that any currently employed teacher will lose their position in MCPS this upcoming school year.
The following tables show typical class size guidelines for 2023–2024 and for 2024–2025. As individual schools determine their master schedules, school leaders will make important decisions about which classes will increase by one student and which classes won’t.
Class Size Guidelines for 2023-2024
|
Elementary Schools |
Middle Schools |
High Schools |
|
|
Kindergarten Grades 1–2 Grade 3 Grades 4-5
Focus and Title I Schools K–2 Grade 3 Grades 4-5 |
24 25 26 28 18 24 26 |
The class size guideline for required English is 29 students.
The class size guideline for other courses is 32. |
The class size guideline for required English is 29 students.
The class size guideline for other courses is 32. |
Class Size Guidelines for 2024-2025
|
Elementary Schools |
Middle Schools |
High Schools |
|
|
Kindergarten Grades 1–2 Grade 3 Grades 4-5
Focus and Title I Schools K–2 Grade 3 Grades 4-5 |
25 26 27 29 19 25 27 |
The class size guideline for required English is 30 students.
The class size guideline for other courses is 33. |
The class size guideline for required English is 30 students.
The class size guideline for other courses is 33. |
- Actual numbers are determined by a formula based on enrollment. At the secondary level [(Enrollment x 7) / (class size x 5)]. For schools with higher FARMS rates, 0.8 FTE is subtracted from the class size divisor.
- Focus schools and Title I schools have greater need and receive a higher teacher allocation.
As students have increasingly complicated academic and mental health needs, any class size increase may have an impact. School and Central Services leaders will work together, as master schedules are revised, to mitigate impact on students and staff. Communication between families and schools, including from individual teachers, will be available so that parents and caregivers can follow their child’s individual academic progress.
MCPS average class sizes are within national trends and many similarly sized school districts in Maryland have greater average class sizes than MCPS. Data from similar-sized school districts in Maryland can be seen in the Maryland State Department of Education class size report released in 2023.