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Core courses at the Calgary Board of Education, for instance, show class sizes as high as 47 students in Math 30-1 at Ernest Manning High School and Physics 30 at Crescent Heights High School, as well as 46 for Science 30 at Forest Lawn High School and 44 for Social Studies 30-1 at Robert Thirsk High School.

Photo by Leah Hennel Leah Hennel / Leah Hennel/Postmedia

Support Our Students, which represents families across the province, has heard consistently from parents whose kids are frustrated and struggling in overcrowded classes, even some who have to share desks with other students.

“We’ve created a system where there are so many students in a classroom, it favours only individual learners,” Silva said. “But just because you might not be an individual learner, it does not mean you are not smart.”

Last fall, Ontario’s education ministry announced class-size caps would be phased in through the hiring of new teachers and early childhood educators with a goal of reducing at least 90 per cent of classes to 30 students or less.

Ultimately, caps for K-3 in Ontario would be 20 students, grades 4 to 8 would be 24 students and higher grades would have to stay below 30. Still, the class-size cap was introduced under the former Liberal government that was toppled by the Progressive Conservatives in last month’s provincial election. New Ontario Premier Doug Ford has not yet addressed funding to continue phasing in class-size caps.

Alberta Education Minister David Eggen said this week he was not happy to see classrooms in Calgary public high schools with as many as 47 students and said he would be willing to explore the option of capping class sizes in Alberta.