Where Our Students are Educated: Measuring Student Enrolment in Canada

Across Canada, during the period 2000/2001 through 2012/2013, private school
enrollment rose 17% while public school enrollment fell 7%.

...The general reduction in public school enrolment has been met both with increased enrolment in independent schools and with a larger share of families choosing to home school their children. Quebec and British Columbia saw the largest increases in the share of independent school enrolment, from 9.4 to 12.6 percent in Quebec and from 8.6 to 11.6 percent in British Columbia from 2000/01 to 2012/13.

...

Critically, the range of parental choice and competition provided in the public education system depends on one’s province (and city). Generally speaking, Alberta offers the greatest degree of school choice in Canada. Apart from having five fully-funded public school choices, although not all are equally accessible, it also provides substantial funding for students wishing to attend independent schools and for parents wishing to educate their children at home. The presence of charter schools provides parents with additional options outside traditional linguistic and religious alternatives offered by public school boards.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Atlantic Provinces tend to offer comparatively less parental choice and competition between schools. None of the Atlantic Provinces provide parallel public religious school systems, nor do they offer funding for parents who choose independent schools.  (more...)

Where Our Students are Educated: Measuring Student Enrolment in Canada

The bottom line:

Voting with their feet

Study Finds Public School Enrollment Down