What is the Optimal School Size for Learning?

In recent months, the REL-NEI Reference Desk has received a number of questions asking how various aspects of school structure and organization, such as school size, class size, and grade configuration, may impact student achievement. Last November, this Digest featured a question on class size; this week, it explores the related issue of how overall school size may impact teaching and learning.

Question

What is the optimal school size for cost-effective, personalized teaching and learning?

Research Synopsis

Reference Desk Researchers found that the literature on school size has various dimensions and that “[n]o agreement exists on optimal school size” (WestEd, 2001; see below). Some research suggests that small and moderate-size high schools foster more positive social and academic environments than do large high schools, especially for economically disadvantaged students (Lee and Bryk 1988, 1989; Bickel et al. 2001, as cited by NCES, 2003; see below). Furthermore, while some studies show that larger schools are more cost-effective per student, others state that smaller schools have a slightly lower “cost per graduate… because dropout rates at the small schools were much lower” (Lawrence et al., 2002; see below).

Publicly Available Resources

The Condition of Education 2003: Indicator 30, Size of High Schools. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics; NCES 2003-067; 2003; 6 pages.
This brief cites literature on the relationship between school size and achievement. “Large high schools have traditionally been considered more economical and able to support a broader curriculum than smaller ones (Lee et al. 2000). In recent years, however, research has suggested that small and moderate-size high schools foster more positive social and academic environments than large high schools, especially for economically disadvantaged students (Lee and Bryk 1988, 1989; Bickel et al. 2001). This research also suggests that students in very small high schools learn less than students in ‘moderate’ size (600–899 students) high schools (Lee and Smith 1997).”
Are Small Schools Better? School Size Considerations for Safety & Learning. McRobbie, J.; San Francisco, CA: WestEd Policy Brief; October 2001; 4 pages.

From page 1: “This Policy Brief outlines key research findings and looks at what the research says about why size appears to make a difference, how small is small enough, effective approaches to downsizing, and key barriers…. No agreement exists on optimal school size, but research reviews suggest a maximum of 300–400 students for elementary schools and 400–800 for secondary schools. In general, studies focused on social and emotional aspects of success conclude that no school should be larger than 500, while those looking primarily at test scores say that somewhat larger is still effective, especially for more affluent students. Perhaps most notably, researchers focusing on the interaction between poverty and enrollment size offer a rule of thumb: The poorer the school, the smaller its size should be.”
A Big Idea: Smaller High Schools. Shakrani, S.; East Lansing, MI: Education Policy Center, Michigan State University; ERIC # ED502129; 2008; 4 pages.
From the Abstract: “Studies suggest students in small public high schools perform better academically, have higher attendance rates, feel safer, experience fewer behavior problems and participate more frequently in extracurricular activities. Additional studies show students who stand to benefit most from small school environments are those most in need, namely low-income students in low-achieving high schools in large urban areas, where graduation rates and low attendance are major problems. A 2007 study by New York University’s Institute for Education and Social Policy reported that small schools have been shown to provide a positive social, as well as academic, environment for students and more effective interaction between students, teachers and administrative staff, contributing to higher attendance and graduation rates.”
Dollars and Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools. Lawrence, B. K., Bingler, E., Diamond, B. M., Hill, B., Hoffman, J. L., Howley, C. B., Mitchell, S., Washor, E., and Rudolph, D.; Cincinnati, OH: Knowledge Works Foundation; 2002; 31 pages.

“Researchers at New York University’s Institute for Education and Social Policy … found that schools with fewer than 600 students spent $7,628 per student annually, $1,410 more than was spent by schools with more than 2,000 students. The cost per graduate, however, at the small schools was $49,553, slightly lower than the per-graduate cost of $49,578 at larger schools. This is because dropout rates at the small schools were much lower—64 percent of small-school students graduated in four years compared with 51–56 percent of the students in large schools with 1,200–2,000 or more students.”

The Reference Desk also found these organizations, and their research and publications resources, to be helpful in learning more about small schools:

The Small Schools Workshop
“The Small Schools Workshop is a group of educators, organizers, and researchers who work in collaboration with teachers, principals, parents, and district leaders to create new, small, innovative learning communities in public schools. [They] provide direct assistance through partnerships with school districts.”
The Small Schools Project
“The Project provides support and assistance to high schools and districts committed to high school redesign and graduating all students college and work-ready. [They] work with both new small schools and those created by redesigning large comprehensive high schools into smaller, autonomous ones.”

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