At both the state and federal level, funding is available to school districts to reduce the average class size in Kindergarten through grade 3 to 17 students. Wherever space permits, the Dubuque Community School District has added classrooms to try to reach that goal. Unfortunately, most of our schools do not have the space to provide an additional classroom. Therefore, we have added associates as an alternative way to provide support for basic skills instruction. I know of classes that are very small.
Class size varies widely at the high school, depending upon the nature of the class.
A visitor to Hempstead or Dubuque Senior High would easily find classes with 15 or fewer students. That same visitor would also find classes in excess of 30. In many lab courses, such as science classes, industrial technology workshop classes, and others, the enrollment is limited by facilities. No meaningful single figure can convey accurate information about average class size at the high school. In the recent past we've heard that there is insufficient room in the buildings.