A delegation of 16 school administrators from China recently visited Southfield High School for a day to study the American way of education. Through a translator, they shared the following statistics about Chinese schools:
The average school in China has an enrollment of approximately 5,000 students (Southfield High has 1,625 students).
Average class size in China is 45 to 50 students (Southfield High has class limits of 24 in a writing class and 30 in other classes).
Students in China attend class for eight hours per school day (Southfield High students are in school for 6 hours and 50 minutes per day.)
Students in China average three hours of homework per night. (Southfield High students say they average 2 hours.)
Approximately 5 percent of Chinese students in regular schools are involved in sports. (Approximately 33 percent of Southfield High students are invovled in sports, according to Athletic Director Art Carinci.)
Chinese students have a two-hour break during the school day for lunch, and many use it to go home to eat. (Southfield students have 40 minutes for lunch.Most eat in the school’s cafeteria.)