B.C. has the lowest percentage of students in public schools, says Statscan

British Columbia has the lowest percentage of students studying in the public school system according to the latest national school enrolment figures.

Put another way, B.C. has the highest percentage of students in private/independent schools compared to other provinces at 13.1 per cent. This is significantly higher than Quebec, the second placed province for private/independent school enrolment, with 9.6 per cent.

Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick all had private/ independent enrolment rates lower than five per cent. The

Canadian average was 7.4 per cent. The Statistics Canada figures are based on the 2017/2018 school year and reported there were 563,244 elementary and secondary school students in B.C., with 85,000 in the private/ independent school system. B.C.’S home school rate was among the lowest in the country at 0.3 per cent. Yukon and Alberta had the highest home school rates at three per cent and 1.8 per cent.

The percentage of students in public school in B.C. has been declining steadily since 1977, when the B.C. government started providing partial funding for approved private/ independent schools.

According to a report by Cardus — a Canadian Christian think-tank — in B.C. there are close to 370 private/independent schools, that belong to 13 independent school associations fitting broadly into elite, specialty and religious schools.

In B.C., two thirds of private/ independent school students go to religious schools (roughly 60,000 students). Most B.C. private/independent schools are classified as Group 1 and are eligible for 50 per cent funding per-student.

A poll released in May, 2019, by the B.C. Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition found three quarters of British Columbians were opposed to elite private schools getting government funding — these include St. Georges, Crofton House and York House schools.

Jason Ellis, associate professor of education at UBC, said one reason that B.C.’S independent school enrolment rate was so high was because here Catholic schools are private, whereas in other provinces (like Ontario) a Catholic school is considered a public school.

“So that accounts for some of the difference,” Ellis said.

“Some of the differences can also be attributed to the fact that private schools in B.C. get some government funding which brings down the tuition costs for parents. If I lived in Ontario and wanted to send my kids to a Muslim school I could do that, but I would pay full tuition. In B.C. it will be a reduced tuition.”

The Statistics Canada report also showed there is a steady increase in enrolment in French immersion schools across the country.