children of elementary classes are normally separated from other classes within their own floor of a school building. they are taught, ideally, by a single teacher through all four elementary years (except for physical training and, if available, foreign languages); 98.5% of elementary school teachers are women. their number decreased from 349,000 in 1999 to 317,000 in 2005. starting from the fifth year, each academic subject is taught by a dedicated subject teacher (80.4% women in 2004, an increase from 75.4% in 1991). pupil-to-teacher ratio (11:1) is on par with developed european countries. teachers' average monthly salaries in 2008 range from 6,200 roubles (200 us dollars) in mordovia to 21,000 roubles (700 us dollars) in moscow.