School Size

BENEFITS

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• Achievement falls as schools get bigger:  Math and reading achievement drops as school size goes up. Smaller elementary schools also tend to have higher achievement. tandfonline+1

 

• High schools have a “sweet spot”: Lee and Smith found that high schools with 600–900 students were the most effective for learning. Schools that were either very small or very large did worse. They saw that range as the best balance of excellence and equity. journals.sagepub+1

 

• Small high schools raise graduation rates: MDRC’s lottery-based study of New York City’s small high schools found graduation rates of 70.4%, compared with 60.9% for similar students at other schools. The gains lasted, at about 8.6 more graduates per 100 students. Disadvantaged students benefited most. mdrc+2

 

• Why smaller schools may help:
  • Relationships are closer, so students feel they belong and fewer fall through the cracks.

• • More students take part in activities and leadership roles.

  • Teachers work together more and share responsibility for students.

  • Behavior and attendance are easier to track.

 

 

KEY STEPS to TAKE

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• Set up small learning communities (SLCs): These can be houses, academies or “schools within a school,” with 100–400 students each. Keep the same students and teachers together over time. SLCs are linked to better student attitudes toward school and higher graduation rates.files.eric.ed

 

• Make them real, not just on paper: Each unit needs its own teacher team, a shared group of students, its own physical space where possible, and a leader such as an assistant principal or lead teacher.

 

• Keep the units mixed: Placement should be by choice or lottery, not by ability. Otherwise the units can turn into tracks.

 

• Create a Freshman Academy: Give ninth graders their own wing and teacher team, plus extra help when students fall behind. In the Talent Development model, the share of ninth graders completing a core curriculum rose from 43% to 56%. The academy usually has its own floor or wing.

 

• Track freshman on-track data: Watch credits, failing grades and attendance, then assign staff to follow up with each student who is slipping. Chicago used this approach to cut dropout rates. The on-track indicator also predicts graduation in other districts.

 

• Run advisory groups: Keep a small group of students with the same adult across several years, with a set schedule and a clear curriculum. That curriculum can cover goal setting, checking grades, and planning for college or careers.

 

• Assign clear responsibility: Every student should have a named adult who knows how they’re doing in school and what’s going on in their life.

 

• Add career academies in the upper grades: Pair a career theme with academics and employer partners. MDRC’s 12-year study found that young men in academies earned 17% more per year, about $30,000 more over eight years.mdrc

 

• Keep academics strong: Themed pathways should still lead to college-ready courses, not a less demanding track.

 

• Schedule shared planning time: Teams that share the same students need regular time to go over student data, coordinate help, and plan instruction together.

 

• Change the schedule to fit: Longer class blocks and fewer students per teacher each day help teachers get to know students.

 

• Pair structural changes with better teaching: Relationships create the opening, but achievement goes up only when rigor, instruction and extra help improve too. Link SLCs to coaching and professional learning.

 

• Add catch-up help: Double-block literacy and math courses or extra-help sessions let students who start behind get ready for grade-level work.

 

• Let units make their own decisions: Give SLCs or small schools control over scheduling, staffing and some of the budget.

 

• Share services across schools: Pooling AP courses, special education, electives and athletics keeps smaller units from losing offerings.

 

• Consider size in facility planning: For new or combined high schools, keep the 600–900-student range in mind, or design buildings as separate houses.

 

• Keep leadership steady and measure results: These reforms take years to show up in outcomes. Track attendance, course passing, sense of belonging and graduation rates, not just test scores.

 

• Treat structure as a way to improve instruction, and put coaching and rigorous curriculum at the center.

 

• Spend time up front helping staff understand the purpose and build the skills they need.

 

• Share specialized courses and services across units or schools.

 

• Use lotteries or open choice, and check enrollment by subgroup to prevent sorting.

 

• Plan how the work will be funded after grants end.

 

• Track leading indicators like attendance, course passing, on-track status and belonging, not just test scores.

 

 

 

 

CHALLENGES

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• The Gates Foundation’s $2 billion initiative created about 2,600 small schools in 45 states and D.C. The foundation later dropped the approach. In its own words, “many of the small schools that we invested in did not improve students’ achievement in any significant way”. Observers summed it up this way: instruction mattered more than structure.

 

• Scheduling and logistics: The U.S. Department of Education’s study of smaller learning communities named scheduling, physical space and staffing as major barriers. The staffing gaps were mainly core academic teachers and counselors.ed

 

• Staff buy-in: Change is slow and uneven when staff don’t fully understand why SLCs matter or what they require.files.eric.ed

 

• Converting existing large schools: Splitting an existing school into several small ones is especially hard. Schools struggle with shared buildings, leftover culture and divided loyalties among staff.air

 

• Personalization doesn’t guarantee rigor: AIR/SRI’s review of redesigned schools looked closely at how rigorous teachers’ assignments were and how good students’ work was. Warmer relationships did not automatically bring more demanding work.air

 

• Higher per-pupil costs: Small schools cost about 20–30% more per student to run. SLCs may need more budget, planning time or staff.abtglobal+1

 

• Costs rise at both extremes: Per-pupil costs follow a U-shaped curve. Schools that are too small or too large both cost more. Busing costs add up when students have to travel farther.

 

• Fewer offerings: Small units may have trouble offering AP courses, world languages, electives, special education services and athletics.

 

• Pushback: Community identity tied to one comprehensive high school, athletics, alumni networks, and union contracts on staffing and schedules can all create resistance.

 

• Funding that runs out: Grant money often ends before changes take root, and the schools slide back to old ways.

 

• Leadership turnover and impatience: Results take 3–5 years or more, but new leaders often replace reforms before that.

 

• Lack of real control: Units that don’t control their budget, staffing or schedule become small in name only.

 

• Size alone isn’t the cause: The NYC gains came from new small schools with a clear focus, strong staff and partner organizations, not just fewer students.

 

• Very small schools have downsides: They may offer fewer courses, AP classes or specialized services, and cost more per student.

 

• Dropping the change efforts before it has had 3–5 years to work.

 

 

 

WHAT NOT TO DO

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• Don’t expect size alone to raise achievement. The Gates Foundation found that many of its small schools “did not improve students’ achievement in any significant way”.nepc.colorado

 

• Don’t just rename things. Calling hallways “academies” does nothing unless teachers share students, planning time and a schedule.

 

• Don’t make units too small. Very small schools lose course offerings and cost 20–30% more per student. For high schools, the evidence points to about 600–900 students.

 

• Don’t split a building without a plan for shared spaces. Converted schools often clash over gyms, cafeterias, schedules and leftover loyalties.

 

• Don’t let closer relationships replace high expectations. A caring environment doesn’t guarantee demanding assignments or strong student work.air

 

• Don’t let career themes lower academic standards. Pathways should still lead to college-ready coursework.

 

• Don’t skip coaching and professional learning. Instruction mattered more than structure Governing

 

• Don’t sort students into academies by ability or background. Use choice or lotteries, and check enrollment by subgroup.

 

• Don’t let some units become dumping grounds for struggling students.

 

• Don’t ignore the effect on nearby schools. Closing large schools can concentrate high-need students in the schools that remain.

 

• Don’t cut special education, English learner or AP access because of limited scale. Share these services across units instead.

 

• Don’t rush staff buy-in. When staff don’t understand the purpose and practices of SLCs, change is slow and uneven.files.eric.ed

 

• Don’t overlook the practical barriers. Scheduling, space and counselor staffing are the most common obstacles.ed

 

• Don’t hold decision-making at the top. Units that don’t control their schedule, staffing or budget are small in name only.

 

• Don’t impose the change on the community. Involve families, staff, unions and alumni early, especially where athletics or a school’s identity is at stake. Link