Nova Scotia releases new caps for class sizes

The Nova Scotia government is promising smaller class sizes for more elementary schools in the province.

Beginning September 2014, class sizes for Grade 4 will be capped at 25 students, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Ramona Jennex announced Friday.

The plan is to eventually cap class sizes for Grades 5 and 6 as well.

Jennex made the announcement Friday morning at Kingswood Elementary.

"Last year 85% of our classrooms, elementary classrooms in the province of Nova Scotia were below 25. But, as people know especially in the Halifax region and some other growth areas in Nova Scotia some of our class sizes were bulging."

An addition 100 teachers will be hired at a cost of $6.5 million over the next three years.

Grades Primary through 3 already have a class cap of 25 students and that change implemented at the beginning of the school year last year. That decision resulted in the hiring of 70 more teachers.

Information the government collected from the boards indicates that the average class size in grades Primary to 6 across the province last school year ranged from 20-23 students. That number is about the same as in the 2011-2012 school year.