Parents urge Ontario government to reinstate TDSB class size cap for grades 4 to 8

Some parents are calling on the Ontario government to reinstate class size caps for grades 4 to 8 in Toronto public schools.

Rohit Gupta, a provincially appointed supervisor of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), has lifted the cap on class sizes that was put in place by trustees for 2025-2026 school year, according to Ontario NDP MPP Jessica Bell, who represents University-Rosedale.

Trustees had voted in March to keep class sizes for grades 4 to 8 to a maximum of 32 students.

"Students, come September, will see ultra-large class sizes in schools across our city," Bell told reporters at a news conference on Monday.

According to an Ontario regulation, boards must ensure the average size of classes in grades 4 to 8 must not exceed 24.5 students across all classrooms of those grades, but there is no cap on the number of students in any one particular class. The TDSB decided that any one class could not exceed 32 students.

The supervisor's decision has angered parents and teachers, Bell said.

"The class cap was brought in because the provincial average method is simply not working. We have class sizes that are already too large, student learning is being impacted and the TDSB made an individual decision to limit that because they wanted to do everything they can to insulate kids from these learning cuts," Bell said.

Learning suffers when class sizes are large, Bell said, and means children receive less attention from teachers. The chances of disorderly behaviour, bullying and violence increase, she said, and learning outcomes in math, reading and writing decline.

When asked for comment, Ontario's Ministry of Education directed questions to the TDSB.

In a statement Monday, the TDSB said the reversal of the cap puts the Toronto public board in line with boards in the rest of the province.

"The supervisor’s decision confirms that the board will continue to operate within provincial regulations and central agreements. Staffing will remain enrolment-based, and the decision does not signal any increase in class sizes," the TDSB said in the statement.

Tonia Krauser, a mother of two boys, one in Grade 5 and one in Grade 8, said her older son is normally in a class of 32 students. In his French class, however, two classes at his downtown school have been combined, creating an overcrowded classroom.

"Students are sitting on ledges, they're sitting on desks, they're sitting on the floor sometimes to learn French," Krauser said.

The school board says all children in the class have a seat. Krauser said her son told her they had to go to the caretaker to get extra chairs at the beginning of class.