OECD Report: Israeli Classrooms Overcrowded, Teachers Quit Amid Low Pay

A new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlights significant challenges within Israel's education system. Titled "Education at a Glance," the report, released Tuesday, places Israel second among OECD nations for the number of students per primary school class and third for secondary school classes. The average primary school class in Israel has 27.2 students, considerably higher than the OECD average of 20.

The report also reveals a high attrition rate among new teachers, with the majority leaving the profession within their first five years. This exodus occurs despite teachers' salaries in Israel being approximately 9% lower than the OECD average for primary and secondary education, and about 7% lower for high school. Conversely, salaries for kindergarten staff are about 3% above the OECD average.

Despite these issues, Israel allocates a substantial portion of its public spending to education, ranking fourth among OECD countries with 14.7% of total government expenditure dedicated to the sector, compared to the OECD average of 11.6%.

These findings follow recent results from the PISA international assessment, which showed a sharp decline in Israeli students' performance in science and mathematics, and a historic low in reading comprehension. The PISA tests, conducted in 2025, indicated a significant deterioration in the Israeli education system's performance between 2022 and 2025, placing Israel among countries with the most pronounced and widespread score decreases.