What Does Class Size Reduction Cost?
Districts are maintaining CSR classes at about 19:1 in order to be sure of remaining under the 20:1 cap. This increases per-pupil CSR costs by as much as 21 percent. As a result, CSR costs about $770 per pupil on a statewide basis under these circumstances. If CSR classes could be kept at 20:1, costs would be about $630 per pupil. There are a number of factors that determine the ongoing cost to a district of class size reduction: Initial Average Class Size. Average class size prior to CSR varies a great deal among districts. Those with lower initial class sizes will need to spend less for CSR than those with higher class sizes. In 1995-96, before CSR was implemented, the statewide average class size in grades kindergarten through third was about 28.6 students, with 84 percent of districts falling between 26 and 32 pupils. Final Average Class Size. The law requires that a class average no more than 20 pupils during the course of a school year to qualify for CSR funds. In order to ensure
