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HB165 • 2026

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE

An Act relating to maximum classroom sizes in public schools; relating to the duties of school districts; and providing for an effective date.

Children Education Parental Rights
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
REPRESENTATIVES COULOMBE, Fields, Saddler
Last action
2025-04-09
Official status
(H) EDC
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Setting Maximum Class Sizes for Public Schools

This act sets limits on how many students can be in a classroom at public schools and requires school districts to inform parents about these limits.

What This Bill Does

  • Sets the maximum number of students allowed in regular classrooms based on grade levels: 23 for K-3, 26 for grades 4-8, and 30 for grades 9-12.
  • Exempts special classes like art, music, computer science, vocational education, and physical education from these limits.
  • Requires school districts to tell parents twice a year about the classroom size rules, average sizes at each grade level in their district, and how many students are in their child's class.
  • Allows for more than the maximum number of students if new students join after the start of the term.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public school districts
  • Parents or guardians of public school students

Terms To Know

average daily membership
The average number of students enrolled in a district over the course of a year.
district
A specific area served by one school board or educational authority.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not apply to districts with an average daily membership of more than 35,000 students from the previous year.
  • The act takes effect on July 1, 2026.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-09 652

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): SADDLER

  2. 2025-04-02 600

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): FIELDS

  3. 2025-03-31 577

    (H) REFERRED TO EDUCATION

  4. 2025-03-31 577

    (H) EDC, FIN

  5. 2025-03-31 577

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

MAXIMUM CLASS SIZE
An Act relating to maximum classroom sizes in public schools; relating to the duties of school districts; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB0165a -1- HB 165
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0622\T

HOUSE BILL NO. 165

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVES COULOMBE, Fields, Saddler

Introduced: 3/31/25
Referred: Education, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to maximum classroom sizes in public schools; relating to the duties of 1
school districts; and providing for an effective date." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 4
Sec. 14.03.065. Maximum classroom size. (a) Except for an art, library, 5
music, computer science, vocati onal-technical, or physical educ ation course, the 6
maximum number of students a public school may place in a class room is 23 for 7
grades kindergarten through three, 26 for grades four through e ight, and 30 for grades 8
nine through 12. This subsection does not apply to a district w ith an average daily 9
membership of 35,000 or less in the previous school year. 10
(b) A district shall, by Nove mber 30 and February 1 of each ye ar, provide 11
notice to each student's parent or guardian of 12
(1) the classroom size requirements of this section; 13
(2) the average classroom size for each grade level at each sc hool in 14
34-LS0622\T
HB 165 -2- HB0165a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

the district for the current school year; and 1
(3) the number of students in the student's classroom. 2
(c) The number of students placed in a classroom in a public s chool may 3
exceed the maximum number set out in (a) of this section if the excess is caused by 4
one or more students transferri ng to the school after the first day of the current school 5
term. 6
(d) In this section, 7
(1) "average daily membership" has the meaning given in 8
AS 14.17.990; 9
(2) "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990. 10
* Sec. 2. This Act takes effect July 1, 2026. 11