About 22% of elementary classrooms are below the board's target range, up from roughly 16% last fall. Across all grade levels, 78% of classes are within the policy's target ranges, 9% exceed the maximum goal, and 13% fall below the minimum, the report shows.

The School Board's class size policy, adopted in 2017, sets a minimum of 15 students for all grades and maximums that vary by grade and subject, with the highest cap at 40 students for non-core middle and high school classes such as arts and music.

District officials attribute the smaller elementary classes partly to enrollment declines. Madison schools are down about 300 students from last year despite projections that enrollment would remain flat. Because teachers had already signed contracts for the school year, the district chose not to reduce staffing in response, said Bob Soldner, assistant superintendent of financial services.

"We wouldn't want to disrupt our educational programming," Soldner said in an interview before the report was presented. He noted that classrooms across the district tend to be closer to the policy's minimum than its maximum, adding, "That comes with a cost."

Cindy Green, assistant superintendent for strategy and innovation, said in a statement that some smaller classes stem from students changing schools and from complexities in scheduling at individual buildings. Others are intentional, she said.

A majority of elementary sections below district goals are at schools participating in the state's Achievement Gap Reduction program, which aims to improve academic performance at schools serving more low-income families, in part through smaller classes. Of the district's 32 elementary schools, 20 are eligible for the program, according to state data. Classes at those schools average one to three fewer students than those not in the program, the report found. Younger grades also tend to have smaller classes district-wide.

"We know that smaller class sizes allow for more personalized instruction and attention, which nurture and promote student success," Green said.

As part of a $100 million operations referendum approved in 2024, district leaders pledged to reduce class sizes in kindergarten and first grade. Average class sizes in both grades have decreased from two years ago, district data shows.

"We are grateful that the community and our Board of Education have allowed us to invest in keeping our class sizes small, particularly for early grades at the elementary level," Green said. "We are proud of the continued efforts we have made in this area to prioritize personalized teaching and learning, particularly in comparison to other local and national school districts."

A 2023 district research review found that reducing class sizes by seven to 10 students can improve learning outcomes, especially in younger grades, but cautioned that the impact varies with factors such as teacher quality and that cutting class sizes "may not be as cost efficient as other possible reforms" for raising achievement.

At the Oct. 2 board meeting where administrators presented the report, some members questioned how class sizes are determined, including how staff are assigned to schools and how students' varying needs are weighed. Board member Ali Muldrow said she wants more data on how class sizes correlate with academic achievement and called for a discussion that is "less superficial."

"I do often wish when we were having this conversation, we were having it in a really strategic, meaningful way in terms of where we're seeing the best academic performances from our students," Muldrow said.

Administrators told the board they are considering additional reports in the spring, including one on other student support staff. Planning for staffing and class sizes for the next school year is already underway.

The district also changed the format of its class size report this year, making it unclear how middle and high school class sizes have shifted since last year.