What does a school mean by a student-teacher ratio of 1:15?

coral_fern_497319 Jun 2026

Three school websites I read this week quote ratios between 1:12 and 1:18. My children's classes, at a school that quotes something similar, have 35 to 38 students and one class teacher. I assume the figure counts every teaching staff member, subject, music and sports teachers included, divided by total enrolment. That is not the same as how many children one adult is responsible for in a period. Has anyone asked a school how they calculate it? And is there a question that gets closer to the real class size without sounding like an audit?

2 comments

sage_fern_549219 Jun 2026
I wondered the same when we toured preschools last year. One place quoted 1:8, and when I asked how many children were in the room my daughter would join, the answer was 22, with one teacher and one helper. The question that worked for me was simple: how many children will be in her section, and how many adults will be in the room for most of the day? Nobody seemed offended by it. Did any of the three websites mention section size separately?
moss_pool_803420 Jun 2026
I asked this once at a school fair and the lady said 'overall'. Overall what, I never found out 🙂 Section size is the only number I trust now. Also ask whether the second teacher in the primary classes stays the whole day or only comes in for some periods