Average secondary class size: record highs and lows
The extremes of average secondary class size as published by Department for Education, across the 11 periods held here (2015/16 academic year to 2025/26 academic year). Each record is a published figure, not a computed one, and the scope is this series — not “ever”.
The latest figure, 22.6 in 2025/26 academic year, is the highest in the whole published series of 11 periods. The rule: a period counts as beaten only when its figure is strictly below the latest, and the claim is only made when it reaches back at least five years.
Highest published
22.62025/26 academic year
Lowest published
20.42015/16 academic year
The full series
What a record here is, and is not
A record is the extreme of the periods this site holds for the current series, at each period’s newest published release. Earlier series measured under different methods are not compared against it. Money is in cash terms: a record set years ago stands against the money of its own year.