The following facts provide a snapshot of British Columbia's public education system:

Enrolment

For 2013-14, school districts forecast there will be:

• 525,692 school-age, full-year students in B.C.'s public schools. This is down 8,999 students from the Sept. 2012-13 forecast (534,691) and down 5,824 students from the final 2012-13 actual enrolment (531,516).

• 54,212 self-identified Aboriginal students, down 125 students compared to 2012-13 actual enrolment of 54,337.

• 24,215 students with special needs, down 81 students compared to 2012-13 actual enrolment of 24,296.

• 58,971 English Language Learning (ELL) students, down 77 students compared to actual 2012-13 enrolment of 59,048.

• 5,972 adult students, an enrolment increase of more than 1,000 from 4,969 in 2012-13.

Historically:

• During the 2012-13 school year, 77,805 students took at least one online (distributed learning) course. That compares to just 33,022 students in 2006-07.

• Since 2000-01, September enrolment is estimated to have declined by approximately 72,000 students.

Class Size

• At 16.5 students per teacher/administrator, B.C.'s ratio has remained relatively stable over the past decade.

• Overall, the number of classes in B.C. with more than 30 students has decreased since 2005-06 by almost 85 per cent, from 9,253 to 1,363 in 2012-13.

In 2012-13:

• 98 per cent of kindergarten-to-Grade 12 classes had fewer than 30 students.

• 100 per cent of kindergarten classes had 22 or fewer students.

• 100 per cent of grades 1 to 3 classes had 24 or fewer students.

• A total of 8,136 (12 per cent) classes had 15 or fewer students.

• A total of 17,156 (26 per cent) classes had 20 or fewer students.

• The majority of classes in B.C. that have more than 30 students actually benefit from having higher number of students (music, drama and arts programs).

• There were 170 more full-time equivalent education assistants in 2012-13 compared to the year before, bringing the total to 9,270.

Funding

• Despite forecasted declining enrolment of 5,824 from 2012-13, school districts' operating funding will remain unchanged in 2013-14 at a total of $4.725 billion.

• The ministry is providing nearly $1 billion more each year to school districts than in 2000-01. In the same period, September student enrolment has declined by approximately 72,000 students.

• In 2013-14, average per-pupil funding is estimated to be $8,603.

• Total funding for students with special needs was approximately $878 million for 2012-13.

• The new Learning Improvement Fund (LIF) will provide an additional $210 million over the next three years for school districts. To date, the LIF has helped:
• Hire more than 500 new teachers and 400 new special education assistants.
• Create smaller class sizes.
• Support professional development and training to help teachers meet complex needs in their classrooms.

• Through BC's Education Plan, $10.6 million is being provided to support:
• Early reading in every school district for students in kindergarten to Grade 3.
• The expansion of skills and trades programs in school districts.

Capital

Since 2001, the Province has committed more than $4.1 billion on school capital and maintenance projects throughout British Columbia.

• Since 2001, government has spent more than $2.5 billion to complete capital projects including 99 new and replacement schools, 151 additions, 27 renovations and 26 site acquisitions throughout B.C. This includes approximately $1 billion for 133 seismic safety projects.

• All new and replacement schools have been constructed to meet the latest seismic standards.

• BC Budget 2013 provides more than $1.3 billion over three years to maintain, replace, renovate or expand K-12 facilities, including continued investment in new school space to accommodate increasing enrolment in growth districts, and continued investment in the program to seismically upgrade schools.

Early Learning

• StrongStart BC centres build on the success of Ready, Set, Learn - a kindergarten readiness program.

• There are currently 326 funded StrongStart BC programs provincewide.

• In 2012-13, there were more than 669,000 visits to StrongStart BC programs with more than 34,000 children participating. That is 1,100 more children participating and an increase of 25,000 visits compared to 2011-12.

Achievement (Results for 2012-13 will be available later in the year)

• The provincial six-year completion rate was 81.8 per cent in 2011-12.

• In 2011-12, 96 per cent of students who wrote provincial exams passed their courses.

Healthy Schools

• Since 2010, the Province, through the Ministry of Health and the Provincial Health Services Authority, has provided $15.5 million to the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation to support the School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program.

• As of September 2013, 1,374 public schools and 81 First Nations schools are expected to be participating in the program.

• The Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools are designed to maximize students' access to healthier options and eliminate the sale of unhealthy foods and beverages in British Columbia's schools.

• The guidelines are being updated and it is anticipated they will be ready this fall with full implementation by the 2014-15 school year.

• Through the Daily Physical Activity requirements, students in all school districts are required to achieve daily activity targets.
• Students in kindergarten to Grade 7 engage in 30 minutes of daily physical activity at school.
• Students in grades 10 to 12 engage in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each week in school or in the community as part of their Graduation Transition program.
• Grades 6-8 students can follow either of the models depending on what local boards/authorities decide.

Independent schools

• B.C. has a total of 353 Independent schools.

• In 2000-01, independent school enrolment was 59,733. Today, it is more than 74,000 students, which is approximately 11 per cent of B.C.'s kindergarten to Grade 12 population.

Media Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963