In Ontario, more and more parents are choosing to enroll their children in independent schools. This despite the fact that Ontario, unlike several other provinces, provides no financial assistance to parents who choose alternatives to the public-school system. By recognizing the growing demand for independent schooling, Ontario has an opportunity to reform education funding policy in ways that help parents afford the school of their choice while saving money for taxpayers.
First, let’s look at the numbers. Between the school years 2000/01 and 2012/13, enrolment in Ontario’s independent schools increased by 9.4 per cent. What makes this increase remarkable is that it occurred during a 13-year period when the province’s school age population (5 to 17 year olds) was shrinking. In total, Ontario’s school age population shrank by 3.7 per cent during these years. Public school enrolment fell by 5.2 per cent.
The rising popularity of independent schools is not unique to Ontario. In fact, independent school enrolment has increased in every Canadian province, except New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, since 2000/01, despite the fact that every province except Alberta has a shrinking school-age population. (more...)
No comments:
Post a Comment