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Class Size

The Manchester Board of School Committee recognizes that class size impacts student learning, behavior, and achievement. Smaller class sizes offer teachers more instructional options while also offering students greater personalized attention and other long-term benefits including significant achievement gains and higher graduation rates. These effects hold across a wide spectrum of students of different ethnic, economic, and language backgrounds.

Therefore, the District shall maintain the following class sizes:

• K-4 20 students maximum

• 5-12 25 students maximum

• Lab courses 24 students maximum

As the District restructures and reorganizes space in school facilities, it will adhere as closely as possible to these class size maximums. If a class exceeds the above sizes, educational consideration will be given to the regrouping of students or to the employment of a paraprofessional or additional teacher.

In order to accelerate learning and support student graduation, classes with enrollments of less than 15 students may be allowed to run with District approval if resources are available.

The Superintendent or his/her designee may exempt specific courses from the minimum or maximum class sizes stated here. This designation should be indicated in the program of study as soon as practicable.

Course Availability

The District’s priority is to provide all students the opportunity to fulfill graduation requirements. In order to do so, some students may not be accommodated when requesting full course loads or when requesting doubling up in a discipline (e.g. taking two science courses in one year). High school administrators shall strive to fulfill every student’s request; however, the need for students to meet graduation requirements shall supersede requests for eight courses and/or doubling up.

Adapted from Concord School District Policy #641 and

Bedford High School 2012-2013 Program of Studies

Revised: 1/22/13; 02/12/13; 3/13/13

First Reading Policy Committee: 06/15/22

Second Reading and BOSC Adoption: 06/27/22