The survey also showed that there is a predominance of public network students in the three levels of basic education
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Brazil has, on average, three more students per class in the final years of primary education in the public network than in OECD countries, according to data collected by IBGE.
Brazil had an average of three more students per class in the final years of primary school – sixth to ninth grade – in the general network in 2024 than OECD countries. Data are taken from the Compilation of Social Indicators 2025: Analysis of Living Conditions of the Brazilian Population 2025, released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) on Wednesday 3.
According to the survey, the average number of students per class in the Brazilian public school system was 26.6 in the final years, while in the public school system in OECD countries it was 23.1. In the early years – from the first to the fifth year – the average number of students in the class was 22.3. In OECD countries, this number drops to 20.8.
The comparison was made using data from the report Education at a Glance (2025)which collects the average number of students per class in the primary and final years of primary education in OECD countries in 2023, as well as Brazil data updated for 2024 by the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anício Teixeira (Inep), an entity linked to the Ministry of Education (MEC).
As for the Brazilian private network, the situation is reversed. The average number of students per class in the first years of primary education was 17 students, which is lower than the OECD average of 19.6 students.
Analyzing OECD countries separately, we find that many of them also had a significant distance between public and private education networks in the early years of primary education. However, while in some countries, such as Brazil, the public network was at a disadvantage, in others, such as Luxembourg, Greece and Korea, there were, on average, six fewer students per class in the public network in 2023.
“According to the OECD, although the evidence regarding the direct impact on student performance is not uniform, class size is a concern for schools and public policy managers and influences families’ choices. Understandably, fewer students prefer class management and it makes it easier to meet learning needs, as well as greater individual attention,” the IBGE report explains.
Preschool
The survey also shows that in Brazilian basic education, preschool was the level of education that represented the greatest disparity between public and private schools in terms of the average number of students per class, such as 18.7 and 13.7, respectively.
According to the study, there are noticeable differences between the numbers by state. São Paulo, for example, has the highest average number of students per class in the public network. The state also has the largest difference between public and private networks: 8.8 more students per class in the public network. See numbers:
Comparison by country
Caption:
Countries
National average (Brazil: 18.7)
Source: Basic Education School Census 2024, Inep
Education networks
The survey also shows that at the three levels of basic education – early childhood education, primary education and secondary education – there is a predominance of students in the public network. Only in higher education does a private network serve the majority of students.
Distribution of students aged 4 years and over according to educational level.
Notes: Data refer to the second quarter.
source: IBGE 2024 Continuing National Household Sample Survey.