Overview
- The government has approved an initial draft to cap classes at 22 pupils in primary and 25 in ESO, which still requires further cabinet sign-off and parliamentary passage.
- Reviewing decades of research, the report concludes that smaller classes generally produce small or no improvements in achievement or classroom disruption.
- The study warns the policy is expensive because most education spending goes to teacher salaries and extra staff and rooms would be needed.
- Researchers recommend prioritizing reductions in high-disruption or high-need schools rather than imposing a blanket nationwide mandate.
- As a benchmark, the report cites New York’s 2022 reform, estimating 4–7 fewer students per class in the city at an annual cost of $1.3–$1.6 billion.