Recalculation of Average Class Size on Washington State’s Report Card

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 04/11/2025 07:00 AM PDT

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Recalculation of Average Class Size on Washington State’s Report Card

Educator Measure Average Class Size Update

Introduction

This is a notification of a recent change in how OSPI calculates average class size as displayed on the Washington State Report Card. Average class size is a measure on Washington State’s Report Card: https://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ under the section header “Educator” and “Teachers and Class Size”. The Figure 1 below shows the location of this measure.

The changes involve the exclusion of non-instructional courses from the calculation of average class size. Below is an FAQ section and considerations about actions that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) may want to take. Additional questions may be directed to EducatorData@k12.wa.us

A screenshot of the report card showing teachers and class size, highlighting the Washington state 2023-24 average class size metric of 19.4.

Figure 1 The "Teachers and Class Size" measure contains the average class size metric.

Recent discussions and analyses have highlighted the need to exclude non-instructional courses from this calculation to be more accurate. Non-instructional courses do not involve direct instruction from a teacher and therefore should not be included in the calculation of average class size. Including these courses can distort the actual average class size of an organization.

Key Changes

Exclusion of Non-Instructional Courses: Non-instructional courses, such as study halls, advisory periods, and teacher assistant periods, will no longer be included in the average class size calculation on Washington State Report Card.

Recalculated Average Class Size: The Washington State Report Card’s average class size has been recalculated and republished. This recalculation has been applied to all currently reported school years (2017-18 through 2023-24). This spreadsheet indicates the original and recalculated value of each organization.

Actions for LEAs

LEAs may have chosen to use the Washington State Report Card’s average class size metric in their own materials, grant applications, or data tracking. Those materials may need to be updated to reflect the newest value.

FAQ

Does this affect the enrollment and average class size calculations used in the prototypical school funding formula?

No, it does not.

What types of courses are considered non-instructional?

Non-instructional courses include study halls, advisory periods, teacher assistant periods, and other courses where students are not receiving direct instruction from a teacher.

What change did this make to the average class size?

A little more than half of LEAs have the same or lower average class size as a result of the recalculation. This spreadsheet indicates the original and recalculated value of each organization.

Contact

For questions regarding this measure in the Report Card, please contact Educator Data, Research and Development Department (EducatorData@k12.wa.us). The OSPI TTY number is 360-664-3631.

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Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

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