At HP, we have a varying difference in class sizes. Some classes have only 10 students while others have as much as 35 students. Why is this and does the difference of class sizes have an impact on the students and how well they learn?

At the beginning  of the year, classes have an average size of around 25 students, give or take a few. As the year progresses, there is a dramatic shift in class sizes, due in part, to advanced placement, or AP, classes. Classwork becomes more difficult and the workload increases heavily as the year progresses and some students drop their AP or Pre-AP classes in order to switch back into ‘regular’ classes. This creates a pattern as the year rolls on. At the beginning of the year, the average of class sizes are about equal in both AP and regular classes but that slowly unravels and leaves AP classes with a small number of students and regular with huge amount. Some regular classes even have to bring extra desks in to handle the sudden influx of students entering their classes, while AP classes are able to take out some of their desks to supply these regular classes. This trend heavily influences why there are such unequal class sizes.

Another reason for uneven class sizes is because some classes are more popular than others. If a class has a small amount of students enrolled it may be due to the fact that not many students are interested in that class. Some classes are even canceled because not enough students enroll. Obviously if a class isn’t very popular, there will be a small number of students enrolled, which increases the number of small classes.

On the other hand, there are advantages to having smaller classes. Such as, the students have more one-on-one time with their teachers, which means students are typically more comfortable with their teacher; therefore, they have no problem asking questions. When in a bigger setting they might refrain, also, there are less distractions in the classroom. More students prefer to have smaller class sizes as opposed to bigger class sizes because of these reasons and more. But, there’s also some downsides to having bigger classes. Such as, teachers aren’t as focused on each individual student as they might be in a smaller classroom, it takes teacher’s longer to grade, and more students means there are more chances for a student to sit in the back of the class or behind a tall person where they can’t see the board or learn to their full potential.

However, there are advantages to big class sizes as well. If a student doesn’t know the answer to a question, there’s a smaller possibility of being called on to answer the question by the teacher,  there’s a bigger group of people to talk to and help each other with the class work, and there’s also a bigger chance of grouping up for projects or daily work.

There isn’t a definite answer to which class size is better, that is left to each individual student and their own learning styles to decide.