KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

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HB98 • 2026

MAXIMUM PUPIL-TEACHER RATIO

An Act relating to a maximum pupil-teacher ratio in public schools; relating to the duties of school districts and governing bodies of school districts; and providing for an effective date.

Education
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS
Last action
2025-03-28
Official status
(H) EDC
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material provides specific details about exceptions and reporting requirements but lacks information on consequences for non-compliance beyond funding constraints.

Setting Maximum Pupil-Teacher Ratios

This act sets limits on the number of students per teacher in public schools and requires school districts to report these numbers.

What This Bill Does

  • Sets a maximum pupil-teacher ratio for different grade levels: 24 students per teacher for K-3, 26 for grades 4-8, and 28 for grades 9-12.
  • Allows exceptions if the school district does not have enough money or if following these ratios would harm education quality given available funds.
  • Requires each school district to report the average number of students per classroom on their website by February 1st every year.
  • Requires districts to report pupil-to-teacher ratios for each grade level to the department annually.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public schools and school districts in Alaska
  • Teachers and students in grades K-12

Terms To Know

pupil-teacher ratio
The number of students for each teacher in a classroom.
average daily membership
A measure used to determine funding and resources for schools based on the average number of students present over time.

Limits and Unknowns

  • There are exceptions until July 1, 2028, for classrooms where the number of students has dropped by two or more since the previous year.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-28 Min

    (H) Minutes (HEDC)

  2. 2025-03-28 Text

    (H) EDUCATION at 08:00 AM DAVIS 106

  3. 2025-02-12 173

    (H) REFERRED TO EDUCATION

  4. 2025-02-12 173

    (H) EDC, FIN

  5. 2025-02-12 173

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

MAXIMUM PUPIL-TEACHER RATIO
An Act relating to a maximum pupil-teacher ratio in public schools; relating to the duties of school districts and governing bodies of school districts; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB0098a -1- HB 98
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0332\I

HOUSE BILL NO. 98

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS

Introduced: 2/12/25
Referred: Education, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to a maximum pup il-teacher ratio in public sch ools; relating to the 1
duties of school districts and gov erning bodies of school distr icts; and providing for an 2
effective date." 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 4
* Section 1. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 5
Sec. 14.03.065. Maximum effective class size. (a) Except for an art, library, 6
music, computer science, vocati onal-technical, honors-level, or physical education 7
course, the ratio of pupils to a teacher in a classroom in a pu blic school may not 8
exceed 24 to one for grades kindergarten through three, 26 to o ne for grades four 9
through eight, and 28 to one for grades nine through 12. 10
(b) The pupil-teacher ratio required under this section does not apply 11
(1) during a fiscal year in which the governing body of a dist rict 12
determines in writing that the legislature has not appropriated sufficient money to the 13
district to implement the require ments of this section; a decis ion of a governing body 14
34-LS0332\I
HB 98 -2- HB0098a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

under this paragraph is final and may not be appealed to the superior court; 1
(2) if the governing body of a district determines in writing that 2
compliance with the ratios under (a) of this section would hind er the ability of the 3
district to best educate its pupils, given available funding; or 4
(3) in a district with an average daily membership of 40,000 o r fewer 5
students. 6
(c) A district shall, by Februa ry 1 of each year, provide noti ce to the public of 7
the average number of students in each classroom across each gr ade level at each 8
school in the district for the current school year on the district's Internet website. 9
(d) In this section, 10
(1) "average daily membership" has the meaning given in 11
AS 14.17.990; 12
(2) "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990; 13
(3) "teacher" means a person who is certificated under AS 14.2 0.020 14
and who is a classroom teacher in a regular instructional program. 15
* Sec. 2. AS 14.03.120 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 16
(k) A district shall, by February 1 of each year, report to th e department the 17
district's ratio of pupils to a teacher in each grade for the c urrent school year. The 18
district shall calculate the ratio using the average of the daily ratio taken over the same 19
period in October that is used to determine average daily membe rship under 20
AS 14.17.600 for the district. 21
* Sec. 3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 22
read: 23
TRANSITION: RATIOS. Before July 1, 2028, notwithstanding AS 14. 03.065, 24
enacted by sec. 1 of this Act, the ratio of pupils to a teacher in a class may be higher than the 25
ratio required under AS 14.03.065, enacted by sec. 1 of this Ac t, if the actual number of 26
pupils in the present classroom has declined by two or more whe n compared to pupils in the 27
same classroom and grade in the previous school year. 28
* Sec. 4. This Act takes effect July 1, 2025. 29