Report finds large classes more common at West End schools

Nearly 12 percent of all middle and high school classes in Henrico’s public schools have more than 30 students, according to data school officials presented to the Henrico School Board Jan. 30.

That percentage amounts to 958 of the 8,262 classes offered at the two levels countywide. More than half of those with more than 30 students (570) were non-core subject courses, according to Henrico Schools Chief of Staff Beth Teigen. That number represents about one quarter of all non-core classes available at middle and high schools in the county.

At the middle school level, 487 classes had 30 or more students; about 70 percent of those were at the six western Henrico middle schools, with Short Pump Middle (75) and Tuckahoe Middle (69) reporting the most such classes. Rolfe Middle (0) and Elko Middle (1) had the fewest.

Among high schools, Glen Allen High had 100 classes (including 60 core subject classes) with more than 30 students – more than one-fifth of the 471 total such classes at all high schools in the county. Deep Run was next, with 75 (including 45 core classes). Henrico High (18) and Varina High (19) had the fewest.

The findings were better at the elementary school level, where only 15 of the 737 classes – about 2 percent – had 26 or more students. Shady Grove Elementary School had a fifth of those classes.