Class sizes shrink for youngest students in Spokane Public Schools

Classes are larger this year in Spokane Public Schools, especially in grades 4 through 12. But the district has achieved a major goal in reducing class sizes for its youngest students, the district’s board of directors heard Wednesday night.

Despite a tough fiscal climate, the average class size for kindergarten through third grade was 19.31 students as of Oct. 1. A year ago, that number was 20.83.

“While we were able to make significant increases in reducing class sizes and staff-student ratios in K through 3, we’ve experienced increases in 4 through 12,” Associate Superintendent Linda McDermott said as she led the board through an 18-page PowerPoint presentation.

There was one more piece of bad news. Total full-time equivalent enrollment this year is 29,698, a gain of 11 from last year but 32 students below projections made this summer.

That means an already tight budget will lose another $300,000 because of lower state funding.

“We had anticipated growing a little, but more than we actually are seeing right now,” McDermott said.

Broken down, elementary attendance is down by 206, to 16,148. Middle school enrollment is up sharply, from 3,994 to 4,192, but high school attendance fell by 93 students, to 7,920.

Enrollment in special programs rose by 112 students, to 1,438.

Schools still are adjusting to the changes, but McDermott said officials are “hearing stories of the significant difference in the classrooms in K through 3 and the progress we’ve made in spite of our budget challenges.”

However, the budget squeeze has translated into bigger class loads above third grade.

Last year, less than one-third of students in grades 4 through 6 were in classes of 25 or more; this year it’s more than half.

It could have been worse. After the school year began, the district added 12 full-time equivalent positions, with five of them in elementary schools.

Likewise, the incidence of heavy crowding – that is, 29 or more students in class – soared from seven last year to 33 this year.

The number of combination classes also increased, though not as dramatically as educators once feared.

At one point, the district was looking at 60 combination classrooms in its elementary schools. However, a late-summer allocation of $1.4 million reduced the final number to 29.

Of those, only 12 are at the K-3 level.

The district came through on its promise to reduce K-3 class sizes. Last year, almost 200 of those classes held 22 of more kids; now it’s below 100, while roughly 60% of those students are in classes of 21 or fewer.

Overall, average K-3 class sizes fell from almost 21 to 19.3.