Chinook School Division student enrolment higher than last year
Student enrolment in the Chinook School Division has increased for 202324 compared to a year ago.
Director of Education Mark Benesh presented the official enrolment report during a regular Chinook School Division board meeting, Oct. 10.
The enrolment figures are based on student numbers recorded on Sept. 30, when there were 5,941 learners. This is an increase of 21 students compared to the 2022-23 enrolment of 5,920.
“We’re always happy when our enrolment goes up rather than down,” he said after the meeting. “It just means more kids in the division supports funding, because enrolments in the cities are much higher and so funding is a piece of that. And so we’re just happy that the trend’s been the last few years that we continue to increase.”
A breakdown of the enrolment number of 5,941 indicates there are 5,272 students in public schools, 496 are Hutterite colony students and 173 students are enrolled in home-based education.
There are 16 more public school students and 15 more Hutterite colony students, but 10 less home-based education students compared to last year. This is the second year in a row that the school division’s enrolment increased compared to the previous year. He noted that several factors can influence annual enrolment.
“It could be a variety of things each year, depending on kindergarten enrolment, things like that, but I would say that we definitely are having some increase in immigration to the area,” he mentioned. “So that has had an important impact in maintaining or increasing our numbers and we continue to see that I think across the province, but across the country as well.”
Total student numbers in the Chinook School Division dipped below 6,000 in Sept. 2016, when official enrolment was recorded at 5,999. Enrolment in each of the following five years was lower than in the preceding year. That trend stopped in 2022, when there was an increase of 40 students compared to 2021 and then this year another increase of 21 students.
Enrolment in each school within the division will vary from year to year and this will be related to factors such as the size of kindergarten and graduating classes. École Centennial School in
Swift Current is the only one close to being full, but it still has capacity.
“All the other schools in the division are able to accommodate additional students, because we’ve dropped over time in some schools,” he said. “Most of our schools are not at the levels they were 15 to 20 years ago and so right now it’s not an impact in our system, and we continue to welcome additional students across the division.”
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Education uses enrolment figures to adjust funding levels to school divisions and increased enrolment is therefore beneficial for Chinook.
“The budget is based on projected numbers and we are close to that projection,” he said.
Another factor that can impact funding to Chinook is the enrolment in larger school divisions, especially those in the urban areas of Regina and Saskatoon.
“If they go way beyond the enrolment of what they projected, that means they will take more of that pie and we will get less,” Benesh said. “So even though we are increasing, they are increasing at a larger rate than we are. That may have some implication on the funding, because many of the categories all have a factor related to enrolment.”
Positive enrolment numbers for Chinook meant that all schools within the division are considered to be viable. Board Chair Kimberly Pridmore said during the meeting that the board supports the viability of small and rural schools.
“Annually, we review enrolments and enrolment trends in schools across the division,” she noted. “Our board at this time is pleased to report that we have not identified any schools in which viability is a concern. So we will not be doing review of any school viability.”
COOP WEEK: There was a flag raising at City Hall and a proclamation during a regular City council meeting on Oct. 16 to officially mark Oct. 16-20 as Co-op Week in Swift Current. Both events were attended by representatives from Innovation Federal Credit Union and Pioneer Co-op. The purpose of Co-op Week is to highlight the positive contributions of co-operatives to the growth and prosperity of communities through jobs, products and services, and sharing profits with members. ABOVE: Standing with the Co-op Week proclamation at a City council meeting on Oct. 16 are, from left to right, Innovation Federal Credit Union CEO Daniel Johnson, Pioneer Co-op CEO Larry Kozun, Pioneer Co-op directors Mac Forster and Donna Bourgoin, and Mayor Al Bridal.