Israel's Classrooms Among OECD's Most Crowded, Teachers Earn Less

A new annual report from the OECD reveals that Israeli classrooms are among the most crowded in the developed world, with an average of 27.2 students in elementary schools and 30.0 in middle schools, significantly higher than the OECD average. The report, "Education at a Glance (EAG) 2026," also indicates that while Israeli elementary teachers teach more hours than their OECD counterparts, they work fewer teaching days annually across all education levels. Teacher salaries in Israel are higher for preschool educators but lower in elementary and secondary education compared to the OECD average.

Despite the challenges of large class sizes, Israeli teachers are highly educated, with over 95% holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and a majority possessing master's or doctoral degrees. The proportion of unqualified teachers in Israel is also lower than the OECD average in most educational stages. The report notes that a significant portion of teachers leaving the profession do so through retirement, though between 19% and 33% of teachers resign within their first five years, particularly in middle schools.

Israel ranks second in the OECD for elementary school class size and third for middle school class size. While elementary teachers teach more hours (844 annually versus 770), high school teachers teach fewer (595 versus 678). The number of teaching days is consistently lower in Israel across all levels compared to the OECD average.

National spending on education as a percentage of GDP is among the highest in the OECD, with Israel ranking first in spending for elementary, middle, and high school education. Overall education spending as a percentage of GDP also places Israel at the top. Real growth in national education spending from 2015 to 2023 was the highest among OECD countries, increasing by approximately 51%. However, due to the high student population, per-student spending growth has been less pronounced.

The report also highlights that Israel's population is among the most educated within the OECD, with a significantly higher percentage of individuals holding tertiary education degrees (51.2% compared to the OECD average of 42.6%). Compulsory education in Israel begins at age 3, and early childhood learning rates are higher than the OECD average.