Enrolment has been on the upswing in School District No. 48, unlike much of the province.
At the November board of education meeting, assistant superintendent Jodi Langlois updated trustees on the growth of full-time equivalent students in the Sea to Sky school district.
“We’re seeing growth or maintenance of enrolment in virtually all of our schools,” she said.
The enrolment numbers are what the Ministry of Education uses to determine the operating grant for the district and is based on the figure as of the end of September.
The figure for students in the district is 4,702, which represents a steady rise over the past few years.
“Since 2010, we’re growing every single year,” Langlois said.
This puts School District No. 48 in rare company, as only a few districts in the province have increasing enrolment.
In October, the right-wing leaning Fraser Institute released a report on enrolment across Canada. The report showed a general decline in public versus independent school enrolment in B.C. for more than a decade.
Sea to Sky has been bucking this trend. Officials said the north part of the district has been an issue, with Pemberton a concern. Meanwhile, Whistler has a shown a surprising increase in enrolment numbers.
According to Langlois, the variable has been an influx of immigrant families arriving in Whistler for work. The province recognizes these children as “landed” and provides funding, unlike international students, who pay tuition.
The challenge at the district level is that it becomes harder to predict these students’ entry into the system than it is to make projections based on birth rates and children entering at kindergarten. For Squamish, the situation might be more stable, but the community is also adding families.
“In the Squamish area, we’re seeing continuous growth as well,” Langlois said.
Programming is a factor at some individual sites, such as the early French immersion program at Garibaldi Highlands Elementary. As well, the two programs of choice, Cultural Journeys and Learning Expeditions, offered at the former Stawamus Elementary School site have attracted strong interest.
The district’s International Education Program has also been a success, particularly in Squamish. “In the south, we’ve seen a continual growth of our international program,” Langlois said.
While the students have to cover their own tuition, they still represent more students in the classrooms for Sea to Sky. The most recent figure is 221 students taking part in the program, with slightly more projected for next semester.
Growth for the Sea to Sky School District has been manageable, in terms of having to reconfigure schools or add portables to sites, although the school board could face a challenge in the future if places like Squamish turn into bedroom communities, bringing a new influx of students.
