BC schools — funding up, enrollment down

Education by the numbers.

Here are the facts about British Columbia’s public education system.

Funding

• Operating funding to school districts in 2009-10 is an estimated $4.551 billion – an $84-million increase over 2008-09.
• Since 2000-01, the Province has increased funding to B.C. public schools by close to $1.3 billion: $873 million in operating grants and $407 million in one-time grants.
• The province is delivering $8,323 in estimated per-student funding in 2009-10 – the highest ever, a $205 increase from 2008-09 and $2,107 more since 2000-01.
• Since 2000-01, enrolment has declined by an estimated 60,000 students across British Columbia, which includes an estimated decline of 6,996 students for 2009-10.
• Total funding for students with special needs is now nearly three quarters-of-a-billion dollars each year.
• $1.5 billion is being invested to upgrade schools to make them seismically safer; the most comprehensive seismic plan ever undertaken by a B.C. government.
• Since 2001, the Province has spent more than $1.5 billion to complete 75 new and replacement schools, 147 additions, 26 renovations projects and 20 site acquisitions across B.C. All new replacement schools have been constructed to meet the latest seismic standards.
• By the end of 2009-10, the Province will have committed more than $3.8 billion in school capital and maintenance projects across the province.

Enrolment

• 538,274 estimated full-time public school students for 2009-10 – 6,996 fewer than in 2008-09 and an estimated 60,000 fewer than in 2000-01.
• 57,668 estimated full-time English-as-a-Second-Language students for 2009-10 – 10 more than in 2008-09.
• 51,905 estimated full-time Aboriginal students for 2009-10 – 52 more than in 2008-09.
• 22,265 estimated full-time students with special needs for 2009-10 – 70 more than in 2008-09.
• 7,537 full-time adult students for 2009-10 – 528 fewer than in 2008-09.

Class Size

• For the third consecutive year, more than 95 per cent of classes in school districts throughout B.C. had 30 or fewer students in 2008-09.
• More than 99 per cent of classes in school districts throughout B.C. had 32 or fewer students.
• Overall, the number of classes in B.C. with more than 30 students has decreased since 2005-06 by nearly 64 per cent, from 9,253 to 3,336.
• There were 68,357 classes being offered in public schools in 2008-09.
• As a result of 5,313 fewer FTE students, there were 336 fewer classes.
• There were 475 more teacher assistants, bringing the total to 8,815 FTE – a 5.7 per cent increase over 2007-08.
• There were 16,351 classes with assigned education assistants – 972 more classes – a six per cent increase since 2007-08, and an increase of 28 per cent since 2005-06.
• There were 6,277 K-12 classes with 15 or fewer students, up from 6,049 in 2007-08, and over 800 more than in 2005-06.
• There were 2,434 K-12 classes with fewer than 10 students.

Record Levels of Achievement

• According to the latest international test of 15-year-olds (2006 Programme for International Student Assessment – PISA), only Finland outperformed B.C. in science and only Finland and Korea scored significantly better than B.C. in reading. PISA 2006 tested 15-year-olds in 57 countries and all 10 Canadian provinces.
• B.C. is a world leader in literacy according to results from the 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). B.C. placed fifth among 40 participating countries and five Canadian provinces in this international assessment of Grade 4 reading. This was B.C.’s first time participating in this assessment.
• The completion rate of students who graduated with a Dogwood diploma was 79 per cent in 2007-08.
• More students scored in the highest grade range on their exams in 2007-08. Of the 13 courses with required examinations, nine saw increases in the proportion of students who received a letter grade of ‘A’ by achieving a percentage score from 86 to 100.
• Final pass rates for courses with required provincial exams ranged from 93 to 100 per cent in 2007-08.
• 3,726 students received the Grade 12 Graduation Program Examinations Scholarships in 2007-08 for scoring high marks on Grade 12 provincial exams. Another 2,976 students received the Dogwood District/Authority Awards in 2007-08 for demonstrating superior achievement in Fine Arts, Applied Skills, Physical Activity, or Second Languages.

Early Learning Investments in B.C. Schools

• We’ve committed $43 million for the expansion of StrongStart BC programs, which help fulfill government’s election platform and throne speech commitments to use underutilized school district space as centres to deliver early-learning services.
• Currently there are more than 200 StrongStart BC programs operating in B.C.
• In 2007-08, there were over 91,000 visits by children to StrongStart BC centres across the province. In 2008-2009 this increased to over 278,000 visits with more than 14,900 children participating.
• StrongStart BC centres build on the success of Ready, Set, Learn, a kindergarten readiness program. Over the last five years, the Province has provided almost $15 million to operate the program.
• In 2009-10, over 1,100 public schools are registered to participate in Ready, Set, Learn.
• Government is committing $151 million for voluntary full-day kindergarten for 50 per cent of children starting school in 2010, and for every five-year-old in British Columbia by September 2011.

Healthy Schools

• 538,274 estimated full-time public school students are participating in Daily Physical Activity. K-9 students will do 30 minutes each day and Grade 10-12 students will do 150 minutes each week.
• Government has created more than $7.5 million in grant programs to support the construction or replacement of playgrounds across B.C.
• With our partners, the B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils and the Rick Hansen Foundation, 87 elementary and middle schools and 24 community organizations have received funding for new or refurbished playgrounds since 2007.
• Another 233 B.C. schools received funding for new or refurbished playgrounds via community gaming grants over the past two years.
• Ministries of Education; Healthy Living and Sport; and Agriculture and Lands have contributed funds totalling $7.7 million to deliver fruit and vegetables to all B.C. public schools through the School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program.
• Under the program, B.C.-grown fruit and veggie snacks are sent to 933 participating schools, serving 288,000 students twice per week, every other week, for 14 weeks of the school year.

Victoria
September 4, 2009
Ministry of Education
2009EDUC0008-000290