Despite overcrowding in some school buildings, over ninety percent of Harford County public elementary school classes and seventy-five percent of middle and high school classes have 25 students or less, according to a November 22, 2010 report issued to the Harford County Board of Education.
Based on September 30 enrollment data, the report shows no public elementary school classes in the county with 30 or more students. Emmorton and Deerfield have the highest number of elementary classes over 25 students. The state recommends 23 students per elementary school class.
Emmorton is also the elementary school with the highest average class size, with 24.5 students per class. William Paca/Old Post Road has the lowest average class size by far, at 10.1 students per class.
Among nine county middle schools, Edgewood has the lowest average class size at 19.6 students per class; the highest average class size is 24.1 students, at Bel Air. Southampton has the most middle school classes in the county over 30 students.
Among the ten public high schools, Fallston has the lowest average class size at 18.6 students per class; Bel Air has the highest average, at 25.6. Bel Air also has the most high school classes over 30 students.
Below is the full text of the Superintendent’s Report on Enrollment and Capacity:
Please see related story on school enrollment.
As a product of Harford County Schools, I happened to pull out all of my old class pictures from Hickory Elementary & Bel Air MIddle School. Do you know that the average class size was 32? With one teacher . . . Does that mean I received an inferior education? After visiting my daughter’s school during American Education Week, I was am a little concerned over the lack of control that one teacher, an aide and parent volunteer has over classroom rutkus. It’s a smaller class, no doubt, however, there’s just so much going on, how my daughter learns anything is a wonder. I know I sound old fashioned, and one day of observance doesn’t represent a whole school year. But this is something that I’ve witnessed for the last six years.
Unfortunately this kind of classroom conduct is all too common in our schools today. You should see it in the middle and high schools. This is a direct result of the change of parental attitude toward teacher authority (not my child) and the sheepishness of school administrators to address problem behavior because they fear law suits and too many negative reports are looked at by central office as a demonstration of poor leadership at the school and/or creates school system fear of schools getting a bad reputation. Many kids no longer fear repercussions from teachers or the school system and as such do as they please. Many good teachers give up on trying to discipline students because they do not get support from school based administrators and central office. At the high school the system overlooks these problems because they are so concerned about graduation rates that suspension/expulsion or transfer to the alternative program in Aberdeen of students does not occur even when it is in the best interest of the school or the individual student who may do better in a more structured environment. Get used to it as this has become the norm.