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Version 00 · Introduced in House · Sep 28, 2026
Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2026
This bill directs the Department of Education to award grants for local educational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades (grades K-3) in targeted public elementary schools by recruiting, hiring, and supporting qualified teachers.
People & committees
Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6] · D–GA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Oct 14, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-28 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill proposes competitive federal grants to local education agencies to reduce kindergarten-through-third-grade class sizes. Applicants would need plans for classes of no more than 18 students in qualifying public elementary schools, with grant priority going to agencies serving more students in poverty. Grants would support teachers, classroom space and teacher training. The bill would authorize federal funding; the supplied record does not establish that the proposal became law.
The term early elementary grades means kindergarten through grade 3.
the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to local educational agencies to enable the local educational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades.
how the local educational agency will reduce the class sizes in the early elementary grades in the targeted schools served by the local educational agency to not more than 18 students per class
the Secretary shall give priority to local educational agencies serving the greatest number or percentage of students who are from families with incomes at or below the poverty line.
(i) recruiting, hiring, and supporting fully certified and qualified teachers, both general education teachers and teachers of children with disabilities, for the early elementary grades at the targeted schools; (ii) obtaining additional space, or renovating school buildings, to provide more classroom space, except that not more than 15 percent of the funds provided under the grant may be used for this purpose; (iii) providing professional development for teachers of the early elementary grades at the targeted schools, except that not more than 15 percent of the funds provided under the grant may be used for this purpose
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000,000 for the first fiscal year after the date of enactment of this Act
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-14T16:39:17Z. 2026-09-28: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. 2026-09-28: Introduced in House
Section 1 would name the bill the Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2026.
This Act may be cited as the Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2026.
A qualifying “targeted school” would be a public elementary school in the top quarter of its local education agency’s elementary schools by the number of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. This ranking uses student counts, not the percentage eligible.
The term targeted school means a public elementary school served by a local educational agency that is in the highest quartile of all public elementary schools served by the local educational agency based on the number of students enrolled in the school who are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.).
The Secretary of Education would administer competitive grants using funds made available for the program. Each grant would last five years.
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
From amounts made available under subsection (g), the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to local educational agencies to enable the local educational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades. (2) Duration of grant A grant awarded under this section shall be for a period of 5 years.
Applicants would submit an evidence-based plan under requirements set by the Secretary. The plan would explain how targeted schools would reach classes of no more than 18 students, identify supported grades, define class size, and describe how small classes would continue across grade levels. Planning would consider student groups, grade level, subject, facilities and educator workload limits.
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including the local educational agency’s evidence-based plan to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades
(A) how the local educational agency will reduce the class sizes in the early elementary grades in the targeted schools served by the local educational agency to not more than 18 students per class, including— (i) the early elementary grade levels that will be supported under the grant; (ii) how the agency will take into consideration the needs of subgroups of students (as defined in section 1111(c)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2))), grade level, subject area, physical facilities, and workload maximums for educators when determining class size maximums; and (iii) how the local educational agency will determine or define class size; and (B) the continuum of small class sizes based on grade level the local educational agency will provide for students in the early elementary grades in the targeted schools served by the local educational agency.
Applicants would explain how they would recruit, hire, prepare and retain teachers, including educators from groups underrepresented in teaching. They would also explain how newly hired teachers paid with grant funds would meet all applicable state certification and licensing requirements.
(2) A description of how the local educational agency will recruit, hire, prepare, and retain educators, including educators from populations underrepresented in the teaching profession (including by racial, ethnic, or linguistic group), as teachers in the early elementary grades.
(5) A description of how the local educational agency will ensure that any new teachers hired using grant funds meet all applicable State certification and licensure requirements.
Applications would describe teacher training intended to improve students’ academic, social, emotional and mental health outcomes. They would also describe sufficient preparation time during the school year for activities such as reviewing student work, planning instruction and assessments, and job-related training. These are planning requirements, not evidence that outcomes would improve.
(3) A description of how the local educational agency will provide professional development and training for teachers in the early elementary grades to improve students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health outcomes. (4) A description of how the local educational agency will provide educators with sufficient preparation time during the school year for activities such as analyzing student work, instruction and assessment planning, or curriculum and instruction-specific professional development.
Applicants already using federal Title II, Part A funds for class-size reduction would report how much those funds support early grades in targeted schools. All applicants would provide average class sizes by grade at application and during the preceding two academic years, along with class-size goals.
(6) In the case of a local educational agency that is using funds available under part A of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6611 et seq.) for class size reduction, information regarding the extent to which the funds are being used to reduce class size in the early elementary grades in targeted schools. (7) The average class size, by grade, in the early elementary grades of the public schools served by the local educational agency at the time the application is submitted and during the prior 2 academic years, and the goals for the class size, by grade, in the early elementary grades of the public schools served by the local educational agency.
When awarding grants, the Secretary would prioritize agencies serving the greatest number or percentage of students whose family incomes are at or below the poverty line.
In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to local educational agencies serving the greatest number or percentage of students who are from families with incomes at or below the poverty line.
Recipients could use up to 3 percent of a grant for administration and would have to use at least 97 percent to reduce early-grade class sizes at targeted schools.
(1) Administrative expenses A local educational agency receiving a grant under this section may use not more than 3 percent of the grant funds for the administrative expenses of the grant. (2) Reducing class size (A) In general A local educational agency shall use not less than 97 percent of the grant funds to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades at targeted schools served by the local educational agency
The specified class-size activities would include recruiting, hiring and supporting fully certified and qualified general and special education teachers; adding or renovating classroom space; and providing teacher training. Classroom space and teacher training would each have a separate cap of 15 percent of total grant funds.
(i) recruiting, hiring, and supporting fully certified and qualified teachers, both general education teachers and teachers of children with disabilities, for the early elementary grades at the targeted schools; (ii) obtaining additional space, or renovating school buildings, to provide more classroom space, except that not more than 15 percent of the funds provided under the grant may be used for this purpose; (iii) providing professional development for teachers of the early elementary grades at the targeted schools, except that not more than 15 percent of the funds provided under the grant may be used for this purpose
Grant activities would also include ways to gather feedback to improve school working conditions, with periodic public reporting of feedback about educator support and working conditions.
(iv) developing feedback mechanisms to improve school working conditions, including through periodically and publicly reporting results of educator support and working conditions feedback.
Recipients would first prioritize targeted schools with the highest percentage of students in poverty, then prioritize those schools with the highest average early-grade class sizes.
In carrying out activities under the grant, the local educational agency shall first prioritize targeted schools that serve the highest percentage of students from families with incomes at or below the poverty line, and then prioritize such schools with the highest average class sizes in the early elementary grades.
Recipients would report annually to their states on grant activities and progress toward their class-size goals. States would forward those reports to the Secretary.
Each local educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall prepare and submit to the State in which the agency is located an annual report on activities carried out under grant, including progress in reaching the goals in reducing class size described in the application under subsection (b)(7). (B) States A State that receives a report under subparagraph (A) shall submit such report to the Secretary.
The Secretary, through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, would evaluate class-size reductions and student achievement where before-and-after assessment data are available. The evaluation would also study school climate among teachers, students and parents, including teachers’ working conditions, job satisfaction and stress.
The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall conduct an evaluation of the activities carried out under grants awarded under this section, including an evaluation of— (A) the progress of the local educational agency in reducing class size in the early elementary grades at the targeted schools served by the local educational agency; (B) student academic achievement in the early elementary grades of the targeted schools receiving support through the local educational agency under the grant where pre- and post-assessment data is available; (C) a climate study of— (i) teachers in such targeted schools that addresses working conditions, job satisfaction, and teacher stress; and (ii) students, and parents of students, enrolled in such targeted schools
The evaluation would also examine newly hired teachers’ qualifications and training, added teacher collaboration time, teacher chronic absenteeism and retention and turnover before and after class-size reductions, and student discipline and chronic absenteeism.
(D) teacher qualifications for newly hired teachers in such targeted schools for class size reduction; (E) targeted professional development and training provided to newly hired teachers in targeted schools for class size reduction; (F) the time added to be used for teachers to collaborate in targeted schools; (G) teacher chronic absenteeism and retention and turnover rates pre- and post-class size reduction efforts; and (H) rates of student discipline and chronic student absenteeism.
The Secretary would report on the grants to the Senate and House education committees within 90 days after the first annual recipient reports are due, and annually thereafter.
By not later than 90 days after the date by which the reports under paragraph (1) are first due, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit a report to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives regarding the grants awarded under this section.
Grant money would have to add to, rather than replace, other money available to the recipient for reducing early-grade class sizes.
A local educational agency receiving funds under this section shall use such funds to supplement, and not supplant, any other funds available to the local educational agency for the purposes of reducing class size in the early elementary grades.
The bill would authorize Congress to provide $2 billion for the first fiscal year after enactment and whatever amounts are necessary for each following fiscal year. This is an authorization for funding, not an appropriation that itself supplies the money. The authorization specifies no final fiscal year.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000,000 for the first fiscal year after the date of enactment of this Act and such sums as are necessary for each succeeding fiscal year.
The official-actions snapshot updated October 14, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Education and Workforce on September 28, 2026. It does not establish subsequent legislative action or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-14T16:39:17Z. 2026-09-28: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. 2026-09-28: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-28. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version and does not establish the absence of riders in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No earmark was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark status and accompanying materials cannot be fully assessed from the bundle.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow special exemption or preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text beyond the program’s ordinary eligibility and priorities. This conclusion applies only to that version, not other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 14, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI