The Educator October 2, 2026 by Jonalyn Cueto

Average class sizes in Australian public primary schools have not changed in a decade and remain above the OECD average, according to the OECD's Education at a Glance 2026 report.

The new OECD report, released Tuesday, puts the average public primary class at 23 students in 2024, the same as in 2015, against an OECD average of 21 in both years. Public lower secondary classes averaged 22 in both years, below the OECD average of 23. The Australian Education Union (AEU) said the average in private lower secondary schools fell from 24 to 19 over the period, against an OECD average of 21.

AEU federal president, Correna Haythorpe, saidhttps://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/public-school-primary-class-sizes-unchanged-for-a-decade/289243?hsmemberId=1456652&tu=9b94880a-01dd-4601-8d92-b009a84b96ac&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_XF17BSOnlnODJ2wN2zFuVyuQX7EJKcNJYo2ph_SN4ov03a_jLM3LyTHc_ioqGSj0T0USvwJeriEo06wfeFQF8hyapphHEJ33QAXCT_RaUU0EjE5o&_hsmi=442166786 averages had not fallen even as the diversity and complexity of student needs had grown rapidly.

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