One of the biggest reasons parents choose a private school for their children is the small class size. This is important to us at Our Savior's Lutheran School as well, because we see the benefit in our students in so many ways. The most important impact is that teachers and all staff members really get to know the students. This has the obvious effect of improving academics since students get more individual attention and differentiated instruction. Teachers can focus on helping students with the areas where help is needed and are able to provide extra challenges in areas where students are strong. The National Council on Teachers of English just published a study on why class size matters. The study found that, "Overall, research shows that students in smaller classes perform better in all subjects and on all assessments when compared to their peers in larger classes. In smaller classes students tend to be as much as one to two months ahead in content knowledge, and they score higher on standardized assessments." The study goes on to point out the long term benefit of small class sizes, "These positive effects of small class sizes are strongest for elementary school students, and they become more powerful and enduring the longer students are in smaller classes." These benefits continue to impact students throughout their lives and go beyond academic improvement as the study points out,"The benefits of smaller classes extend beyond test scores and student engagement. In addition to the longer-term positive attributes of small class sizes in the early grades, benefits include continued academic and life success. Researchers have found that reducing class size can influence socioeconomic factors including earning potential, improved citizenship..." Add to that the effect on teacher retention because teachers don't become burned out by the larger class sizes and you have a winning formula for improved student learning and self esteem. The school retains long term, quality teachers and students reap the benefits!