Israel Ranks Third Worldwide for Classroom Overcrowding, OECD Report Shows
A new report shows Israel ranks third globally for middle school classroom density, with overcrowded classes and lower teacher salaries compared to OECD countries.
A new report reveals that Israel ranks third in the world for classroom overcrowding in middle schools, while elementary and high school students continue to study in packed conditions. The price is paid by both students and teaching staff, who earn less compared to teachers in OECD countries.
Education at a Glance Report
Adding to the criticism of the Israeli education system and the Ministry of Education, the Education at a Glance 2026 report comparing Israel's education system to others shows that it still lags behind in many parameters. Unlike international exams, this does not concern student achievements, but rather various measurable metrics such as classroom density, teacher salaries, teacher ages, teacher attrition rates, and the number of teaching hours.
If the difficult daily environment for teaching staff in Israel were not enough, they also earn less. While the actual salary of a kindergarten teacher in Israel is about 3% higher than that of their OECD peers, salaries in other educational stages are lower: about 9% lower in elementary and middle schools, and about 7% lower in high schools. For example, the actual annual salary for an elementary school teacher in Israel is 57,400 shekels, compared to 62,942 shekels in OECD countries.
Overcrowding and Teaching Hours
To make matters worse, Israel suffers from significantly higher classroom density. In 2024, student density in Israeli elementary school classrooms was 32% higher, with 27 students per class compared to an OECD average of 20. In middle schools, density was also 32% higher, featuring 30 students in Israel versus 22.7 in the OECD, placing Israel third globally for the highest classroom density.
"The data shows that Israeli elementary school teachers handle significantly more frontal and individual teaching hours annually than the OECD average, reaching 844 hours compared to 770," according to the report.
At the same time, the report notes that the number of teaching days in Israel is slightly lower than in the OECD across all educational stages. In 2025, kindergarten teachers taught 182 days compared to 193 in the OECD, elementary school teachers taught 182 days versus 183, middle school teachers taught 177 days compared to 184, and high school teachers taught 174 days compared to 182, partly due to the early start of summer vacation.
