When is a class size too small in an elementary school?

The answer lies in the number of peers in a classroom available to form friend groups of 2 to 5 students. Addison Central School District administrators and teachers have said that five students in a kindergarten/first grade classroom is not sufficient to support peer learning and socialization.

Over the next 10 years to achieve high performance schools for every ACSD elementary student, the ACSD should consolidate to three rural elementary schools and Mary Hogan in Middlebury. The essential characteristics of each school should include:

a. A full-time principal and a full-time nurse

b. Single-grade classrooms of at least 12 students (to allow reporting of 5th grade yearly No Child Left Behind assessments in English Language Arts, mathematics & science), and

c. A modern gym at least the size of the one in Salisbury Community School.

During the transition, parents should have the option of choosing the elementary school for their children if there is sufficient space in the receiving school.

Hugh McLaughlin

Middlebury