There are expected to be 1,826 elementary students in Warren County School District schools next year.

With 81.7 teachers for those students, the average class size is over 22.

There is some variation in the classes, but most fall in the 17 to 25 range.

All of Eisenhower, Sheffield, and Warren Area elementary classes are in that range. One fifth grade class at Youngsville Elementary has 29 students in a section.

The fifth grade at Beaty-Warren Middle School has 152 students in five sections — an average of 30 per class with two left over.

The district’s policy on teacher-student ratios in grades kindergarten through five allows up to 30 students in classes in third through fifth without special considerations and up to 27 in grades kindergarten through second.

The considerations for classes in excess of those limits are: bringing in aides; reducing the size of the class through reassignment; adding sections; and adding teacher time.

“Class size will not in and of itself generate change,” according to the language in the policy. Several other factors will be considered including: the “chemistry” of the students; the impacts of special needs services; overall student performance in a building; and socio-economic factors.

A late change to staffing will bring the fifth grade class sizes at Eisenhower into compliance with policy.

The district added a third section of fifth grade at Eisenhower. There are 65 students expected to be in that class. With only two sections, that would have put at least 33 students in one class. The additional teacher brings the average to less than 22.

“The third fifth grade teacher position came from Educational Reform that allowed us to shift a full-time educator (FTE) position from middle level to where it was needed — in this case, EES fifth grade,” Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Rhonda Decker said.

When Decker presented the table of elementary class information, school board members noticed, and had questions about, a cell showing “1.7” teachers in second grade at Sheffield.

Through some flexible scheduling, one of the two teachers will spend a portion of each day in another assignment.

That teacher will spend a period each day with sixth grade English language arts. That teacher’s second graders will be in specials or with another teacher or specialist during that time. “By the time specials and MTSS classes are complete, their teacher would be back with them for the remainder of the school day,” Decker said.

The additional 0.3 teacher does not show up on the table which only shows kindergarten through fifth.

Data

The central attendance area has almost half of the elementary students in the district and Warren Area Elementary has twice as many students (739) as the next largest elementary building. Youngsville is second at 365, Eisenhower next with 340, then Sheffield at 230, and finally Beaty, with only fifth grade among on the elementary list, at 152.

The district’s third grade is the smallest of any grade with 271 students district wide. The incoming kindergarten class is projected to have 278.