When schools set standards for class sizes, they must take into consideration both the initial amount of students and the expected growth of the school over time. If schools set their standards to the number of students initially allocated to each classroom, they will have to break that standard if their student body grows. State and local regulations and codes must also be considered to make sure the school does not break any laws or face unusual liabilities. Schools should also think about whether they plan to expand the school in the future, or if they are permanently limited to the current space available.
The capacity of elementary school classrooms will vary by school and may be regulated by different state or district rules. However, about 25 students is generally the capacity of a classroom. Classroom space standards suggest that about 30 to 40 square feet should be allotted per student, resulting in classrooms that are ideally between 750 and 1,000 square feet. In addition to larger classrooms for general instruction, schools should also have smaller classrooms for instruction in smaller groups or tutoring.
Specialty classrooms, used for specific activities that are not lead by a student's grade teacher, follow slightly different space standards. School standards suggest that art classrooms be 1,000 to 1,500 square feet and hold up to 30 students. Music classrooms should also be 1,000 to 1,500 square feet and hold no more than 50 students. Gymnasiums should be between 4,800 and 8,000 square feet.
Setting standards for elementary school classroom sizes has many benefits. Standards enable comparisons within and between schools, which makes it easier to locate problems within schools and classrooms and find solutions to get those schools and classrooms up to standard and make them better learning environments. Standards also help new schools to apply practices that have already proven successful at other schools.