CLASS SIZES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNCHANGED FOR A DECADE DESPITE BIG INCREASES IN STUDENT NEED

Class sizes in Australian public primary schools have not changed in a decade and remain well above the OECD average, according to new research.

The OECD’s Education at a Glance 2026 report also shows that Australian teachers spent more hours teaching each year than those in most other major countries.

The report states that the average class size in Australian public primary schools was 23 in 2024 – a figure unchanged from 2015. That compares with an OECD average of 21 in both years. Australia had the equal sixth largest average public primary class sizes in the OECD in 2024.

In lower secondary public schools, the average class size in 2015 and 2024 was 22. In private schools the average fell from 24 to 19 over the same period. The OECD average in 2024 was 23 for lower secondary public schools and 21 for private schools.

AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said average class sizes had not fallen despite a rapid increase in the diversity and complexity of student needs. The primary drivers of that change are an increase in the number of students with disability, mental health and wellbeing issues, learning difficulties and behavioural problems. The number of students with disability in public schools has increased by 50% since 2015 and they now make up 28.6% of students.

“Smaller class sizes mean more one on one support for students leading to higher engagement and fewer behavioural issues,” Ms Haythorpe said.

“Cutting public primary school class sizes to the OECD average of 21 would pay off by increasing the support students receive and the results they achieve.”

Other key points from the OECD report include:

• Australian teachers have one of the highest statutory teaching loads. Primary teachers had an annual net teaching time of 857 hours in 2025 compared to the OECD average of 770. In lower secondary schools the average teaching hours of 841 were 18.5% higher than the OECD average of 710 hours.
• While above the OECD average, the salaries of Australian teachers are not keeping pace with other professions in a competitive labour market. Australian teachers earned only 92% of the average earnings of full time tertiary educated workers in 2025.
• Australia remains an outlier in the distribution of school funding. Government expenditure on public primary schools was 1.1% of GDP in 2023, below the OECD average of 1.16% of GDP. In lower secondary public schools, government expenditure was 0.67% of GDP, below the OECD average of 0.74% of GDP. But government expenditure on private primary schools as a share of GDP (0.39%) was almost three times higher than the OECD average (0.15%). It was over three times higher for lower secondary schools (0.41%) than the OECD average (0.13%).
• Government expenditure per child in pre-primary education in Australia in 2023 was $10,752 USD PPP (Purchasing Power Parities), 9.9% below the OECD average of $11,928 USD PPP.
• Enrolments in Australian schools of children aged 5 to 14 grew at higher rate than the OECD average between 2015 and 2024 (10% compared to 4%) and the nation is expected to defy the international trend of declining student numbers with a small increase between 2024 and 2033.
• The report warns of growing difficulties attracting and retaining teachers across the globe, relying on published data to show the scale of the problem in Australia. The recently released 2025 PISA report showed 61% of students were in public schools whose principal reported a shortage of teaching staff hindered instruction compared to 35% in private schools.

Ms Haythorpe said increasing salaries and cutting unsustainable administration workloads were an essential part of addressing teacher shortages, along with better early career support, professional autonomy and public support for the profession.

“The constant undermining of the profession by One Nation and the Coalition with their fake claims of indoctrination and bias only make it harder to recruit and retain the teachers we need for the future,” Ms Haythorpe said.

“As this report states, education systems are only as strong as their teachers. Retaining teachers in the profession and increasing recruitment are both essential to end the shortages and give public school systems the capacity to reduce class sizes and improve the one-on-one support students receive.”

ENDS

Media contact: Jess Sexton 0403 580 191