, the average Brooklyn kindergarten class is over the Department of Education's limit of 20, but only by .1 students. Brooklyn kindergarten classes have the second smallest average class size in the city and Manhattan has the lowest average with 19.9 students. There are a total of 536 schools throughout the city over the limit, according to the report.The figures were published within weeks of the teachers union's decision to file a grievance over the issue of crowded classrooms. Members of the union and members of the "Class Size Matters" group say in most cases the Department of Education does not take steps during the first few weeks of the school year to ease overcrowding. The Department of Education denied the claim. This was the first time for the Department of Education to release class size information since the City Council passed legislation last year requiring it.