Students in Rainbow Schools Benefit from Smaller Class Sizes

92 per cent of primary classes now have 20 or fewer students

Rainbow District School Board has surpassed provincial targets for the reduction of primary class sizes in Ontario. A total of 92 per cent of Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 classes in Rainbow Schools have 20 or fewer students, compared to 88.4 per cent on a provincial level. All primary classes in Rainbow Schools have 23 or fewer students.

“This is good news for the children in our care who are benefiting from more individual attention from their teachers,” said Jean Hanson, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board. She added: “Early years are critical years as we build the foundation for more advanced academic studies in later grades. Strong literacy and numeracy skills, coupled with character education, will enable students in Rainbow Schools to reach their full potential.”

The Ministry of Education began phasing in the cap of 20 students in the primary grades (JK to Grade 3) in the 2004 – 2005 school year with full implementation by 2007 – 2008.  “In the current school year, our primary division was staffed at a ratio of 20 students to 1 teacher,” said Director Hanson. There are close to 4,000 Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 students in Rainbow Schools.

To make class sizes smaller, more teachers and more classrooms are needed. To date, Rainbow District School Board has received funding to hire approximately 40 more teachers for the primary grades. In addition to extra teachers, school boards are receiving capital dollars to address primary class size space requirements.

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Media Contact:

Jean Hanson, Director of Education,

Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7215.