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The report "Summary Public School Indicators for the Provinces and Territories", released today, provides a comprehensive examination of public school indicators for the provinces and territories during the academic years from 1998/1999 to 2004/2005.
It examines trends in enrolment and the number of educators in public elementary and secondary schools, as well as basic financial statistics, such as total spending on education and spending per student.
Between 1998/1999 and 2004/2005, enrolment in public elementary and secondary schools declined 1.9% to just under 5.3 million students.
All provinces except Alberta and Ontario reported lower enrolment during this time. In Alberta, a total of 551,000 students were enrolled in public schools in 2004/2005, up 1.4% from 1998/1999. In Ontario, enrolment edged up 0.6% to 2.1 million.
The largest decline in enrolment occurred in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the number of students has fallen 18.5% since 1998/1999. This is consistent with population estimates showing that the school-age population in Newfoundland and Labrador has also declined nearly 18.5% during this period, largely the result of continued migration to other Canadian provinces.
Elsewhere, decreases in enrolment ranged from 10.5% in the Yukon to 1.4% in Quebec. These declines can be attributed to an aging population. The children of baby boomers are now starting their post-secondary education, contributing to the increased post-secondary enrolment in recent years.
Total spending on public elementary and secondary education increased at a faster rate than inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index.
In 1998/1999, total spending amounted to $35.7 billion. By 2004/2005, it had risen 24.6% to $44.5 billion, well above the 15% increase in inflation.
Nationally, in 1998/1999, it cost on average $7,077 (current dollars) to educate a student in Canada. Six years later, this cost had increased 28% to $9,040.
Among the provinces, the annual cost per student in 2004/2005 ranged from $7,600 in Prince Edward Island to $9,200 in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta.
There were just under 310,000 educators in Canadian public schools in 2004/2005, up 1.3% from six years earlier (based on full-time equivalents). The number increased in eight jurisdictions and declined in five.
Among the provinces, the biggest increases in the number of educators occurred in Alberta, Prince Edward Island and Ontario.
Note: The term "educator" refers not only to teachers, but to all employees in the public school system who are required to have teaching certification as a condition of their employment. This definition generally includes principals, vice-principals and professional non-teaching staff.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 5102.
The report "Summary Public School Indicators for the Provinces and Territories, 1998/1999 to 2004/2005", part of the Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics - Research Papers (81-595-MIE2007050, free) is now available online. From the Publications module, under Free Internet publications, choose Education, then Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics - Research Papers.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-307-3382; 613-951-7608; fax: 613-951-4441; educationstats@statcan.gc.ca), Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics.
