In crowded classrooms, it can be difficult for each student to get the individual attention they deserve—and for teachers to find time for the hands-on learning and nuanced, meaningful feedback they’d like to provide. Small class sizes, on the other hand, encourage closer relationships not only between students and instructors, but also among students themselves. This creates a richer, more collaborative environment that fosters trust, whether students are pursuing academic or athletic success.
At Sapolu Destined Academy, some of our student-to-teacher ratios are as low as 8:1. Here’s why that’s important to us.
Small Class Sizes Turn A Classroom into a Team
One of the benefits of small class sizes is that they necessitate cooperation, ideal for a place where elite team sports are at the forefront. Students can develop close bonds and create routines with their classmates, while teachers can adapt coursework to favor collaborative projects and fruitful, memorable discussions uniquely suited to their group. This closeness means that students are more likely to seek help from their teachers in class and during office hours, consult with peers when they encounter a challenge, and view learning as a process that, at its best, involves others.
The result? A close-knit team that works together to achieve goals.
Small Class Sizes Encourage a Healthy Community
One of SDA’s core values is cultural sensitivity: celebrating diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Another benefit of small class sizes is that these unique qualities—the things that make each student special—have the chance to shine, allowing students to engage with and learn from one another in close proximity.
Students are thus better equipped to listen and thrive in their future communities: classes, workplaces, collegiate and professional sports teams, or wherever else their lives lead them. No matter where they find themselves, they’ll be able to draw on the foundation of magnanimity, understanding, and curiosity they built with their peers at SDA.
Small Class Sizes Help Students Reach Their Potential
There’s plenty of evidence associating small class sizes with better learning outcomes, including higher test scores, increased participation, and improved behavior. One particularly famous study, Project STAR, which involved over 11,000 students in Tennessee, found that smaller class sizes led to “substantial improvement” in performance, behavior, classroom disruption, and conditions for teachers, among other outcomes, over a four-year period.
And in a 10,000-teacher survey conducted by Scholastic in 2012, 62% of respondents asserted that small class sizes would improve academic achievement. Of the 17 efforts mentioned, only “family involvement and support” and “high expectations for all students” garnered more support. This makes sense: Smaller classes mean more individualized attention, closer bonds with teachers, and more hands-on, multisensory learning.
At SDA, we want students to harness the collective intelligence of our community to solve problems and become adaptable, compassionate communicators. The evidence is clear: Smaller class sizes help students thrive, setting the stage for lifelong success as athletes and learners.
If your student-athlete is ready to build confidence this summer, SDA’s off-season options could be the next step. They’ll get the personalized training, care, and community they need to reach their full potential.