Dismal grade for Israel in class size rankings
New figures show elementary school children here sit in some of the largest classes in the developed world
Israeli schoolchildren are grouped in some of the most crowded classes in the developed world, ranking next to last among countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to new figures released by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
A report published by the governmental body Sunday said that the average elementary school class size during the 2013-14 school year was 26.8, far worse than the OECD average of 21. Israel is tied with Japan and ahead of only Chile, which averages 30 students per class.
While a 28.2 student average for middle school places Israel slightly higher, a joint fifth from bottom, that number also greatly exceeds the OECD average of 24.
The total average class size for Israeli schoolchildren across all ages was reported as 27. In 30.4 percent of schools there were over 33 students per class.
Israeli schoolchildren came in at 39th place globally in a major education report published by the OECD in May 2015 that ranked 76 nations according to standardized test scores.
Asian nations led the rankings, with Singapore taking first place, followed by Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. European nations were next, with Finland at sixth place followed by Estonia, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
The OECD issued a special warning about the decline of Sweden in the rankings. The Scandinavian country placed 35th, four slots ahead of Israel.
According to figures released by the Education Ministry in July 2015, just over half of Israeli high school-aged students who took a set of national examinations in 2014 achieved the scores necessary to graduate.
Only 52.7% of Israeli teens across aged 17-18 earned matriculation certificates for 2014 — down from 53.4% the previous year. The statistic includes all Israelis born during the 1996-97 school year, regardless of whether or not they attended school.
The comparatively low figure — as compared to other OECD countries — may be partly attributable to to minimal high school attendance rates in the Jewish ultra-Orthodox community and the Bedouin sector. When the statistics are weighted to include only those teens who attended high school, the number of those who meet matriculation requirements jumps to 65.5% — up from 64.2% last year.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.