A new study by the National Center for Education Statistics compares primary, secondary, and higher education in G-8 nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, and US). Areas of comparison include population and school enrollment; academic performance; context for learning (class size, professional development, etc.); expenditure for education; and education returns (educational attainment and income).

Among many interesting tidbits, the country with the largest average class size (Japan – 29) performed the best on international assessments, while the country with the second lowest average class size (Italy – 18) performed the worst. The U.S. has an average class size of 23, which is about average among the eight nations. Performance for students in the U.S. was a bit below average.