So before you apply, narrow your top contenders down to a shortlist of two or three schools. So be prepared to plead your case. Last year the BBC ran a story with the headline “How Canada Became an Education Superpower.” The BBC pointed out that Singapore, South Korea and Finland usually get mentioned as the world’s top performing education systems, “but with much less recognition, Canada has climbed to the top tier of international rankings.”. Average class size is 12 to 22 students. Less than seven percent of Canadian students attend private schools, but the majority of Canadians believe private schools provide a better education than public schools. That said, while you may have dreams of raising a Nobel laureate, sticking your kid in a school with the best reputation for high-performing students may not help her bring home good grades, even if she is exceptionally bright. In fact, there are two kinds of non-public schools out there — “private” and “independent” — and there are important distinctions you should be aware of before enrolling your kid in either kind. If you start your kid in Grade 7, you’re looking at a $200,000-plus investment in his education — before university. About 68% of all private schools have a religious orientation, while 32% are nonreligious. Statistics Canada echoed these findings in a 2015 report, which found students in Canadian private schools have more educational success than their public school counterparts because of their socio-economic characteristics, not because of private schools themselves. Some private schools deliver great educations. Share on Twitter All of these factors feed the idea there is a private school advantage. They’re doing it for noble reasons. I was duly impressed.”. Parents leaning in the direction of private education have to ask themselves if the benefits of private school are worth the high cost for the perks that private schools claim to offer, though calculating the true cost of education has been further complicated by new tax rules laid out by the DeVos-led Department of Education. If our teachers don’t “click” with your kid, forget it. And those fantastic athletic programs or music facilities that sold you on private school in the first place? A professor at the University of Illinois … But they can be tiring and stressful for your kid, not to mention expensive for you — private schools charge a fee for each application, which means that putting your kid’s name in at a half dozen places could set you back close to a grand. They’re run on a shoestring,” says York University’s Paul Axelrod. In the US there is a very small sector of non-sectarian private schools with high fees, but most private schools are, again, religious, with much lower fees than here. Count on another couple grand. While the left side of your brain says you can’t afford it, the right side of your brain counters with the very compelling argument that hundreds of rich, influential and wildly successful men have graduated from this place: Galen Weston, Michael Ignatieff, Robertson Davies. ), IPE/BC Submission for BC’S 2021 Budget Consultation, Op Ed in Province: Privatizing Private Schools Should Top List of Funding Changes in BC, How GERM is Infecting BC Public Education, New Publication: Education Funding Models in Canada, NEWS RELEASE: Most British Columbians Do Not Support Public Funding for Private Schools, Public Subsidies to Private Schools in BC: 2019. MoneySense will always make updates and changes to correct factual errors. Average Private School Tuition Cost (2020-21) State. I suppose that if you happen to be fabulously wealthy, losing $30,000 or $40,000 because your child has to withdraw from her private school might not be a big deal. For the two- and the three-year-olds! If you have an eighth grader who will be in school for five more years, that's $53,340 in tuition, if fees remain the same. IPE/BC Fellows on privatization and distributed learning, The State of Education in British Columbia, Annual Update: Public Subsidies to Private Schools, “How Canada Became an Education Superpower.”, Statistics Canada: Academic Outcomes of Public and Private High School Students: What Lies Behind the Differences? First, make sure any school you’re considering has membership in a national or provincial association that enforces strict educational standards, such as the Canadian Association of Independent Schools. When you add in books, uniforms and lunches (which sometimes cost extra), a year of private school for a student within daily commuting distance can easily inch towards $40,000 a year. Private school teachers make way less than public school teachers.Average salaries are nearly $50,000 for public, and barely $36,000 for private. This is an increase of 41.3% (Source: BCTF). Between 2000–01 and 2016–17, the full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrolment in BC independent schools increased from 57,462.7 to 81,180.6. I thought, Holy God, you just don’t see that anymore.”. The admissions office should not hesitate to answer your queries on how the school spends its money. Our analysis compared the results of 229 private and 278 public schools. For more research-based resources on private schools see “Resources on Private Schools” by National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado. The price for secondary education in Canada at prestigious private schools with full board varies from 35,000 to 70,000 Canadian dollars per year. Need bus service? It makes a big difference what any teacher can both see and accomplish with 12 kids vs 24 kids. Perspectives is an opportunity for Fellows and others to share their ideas in short, accessible essays. Maybe. In addition, Pianta and Ansari found no evidence to suggest that low-income children or children enrolled in urban schools, benefited from private school enrolment. Check out a website for Canadian Accreddited Independent Schools. As for the duration and the beginning of the school year in private schools in Canada, it begins in September, and ends in May. In addition, while BC public schools were under a funding siege for the first 16 years of this century, private schools were enjoying significant funding increases and a wealth of positive (and free) press from publication of school ranking schemes, which consistently placed private schools at the top. It might be as dramatic as the discovery of a gift for music that you want to foster, or the diagnosis of a learning disability that needs special attention. Others are major disappointments. “What you’re guaranteed when you go into private is you’ve got teachers who are there by choice, as opposed to being placed there [as they often are in public school systems]. Who will go on to make more money in life? To receive funding, a school must meet clearly identified criteria, such as employing only provincially certified teachers. All of that, it was tougher for them.”. That’s a significant burden for a middle-class family. The good news is that with a little effort, you can find a high-quality school, and protect yourself and your child from such fly-by-night operations. In order to enter a private Canadian boarding school, following documents are required: A copy of the student's passport or ID card After that, there are no guarantees. Many Canadians seem to think so. Between 2000–01 and 2016–17, funding for BC independent schools increased by 95.9%. This feature offers names and locations, as well as links to the schools’ own Web sites, many of which are packed with information. Maybe not. To decide if it's worth the investment, examine these major differences between public and private schools. Do private schools provide a better quality education than public schools? This is particularly true when we examine school rankings because private schools’ higher average test scores are at the heart of the conventional belief that private schools are better than public schools, along with their typically well-funded programs. Those steps can be essential to finding the right fit, especially in schools where the number of applications far exceeds the number of empty desks. How much are teachers paid? They may not be included with tuition, so getting your kid involved could cost you extra. Alaska: $7,035: $6,118: $7,756: Alabama: $7,396: https://www.universitymagazine.ca/expensive-private-schools-canada Any school outside the public system tends to get labelled as “private,” in the same way that we tend to refer to all tissues as Kleenex, or all bubbly water as Perrier. There are many reasons to be skeptical of international rankings based upon a single test given to 15 year-olds. “If you have five kids and a toilet that flushes, you can open a school,” Winberg says wryly. Almost anyone can open a private school. (Some schools save you the trouble by putting information about teacher credentials right in their brochures.) You think tuition is pricey? Entrance Scholarship to Grade 7 is available. Less than seven percent of Canadian students attend private schools, but the majority of Canadians believe private schools provide a better education than public schools. If you don’t like your kid’s private school, move on. “The biggest mistake is probably deciding on what school your kid will go to without involving your child in the process,” says Judy Winberg. A recent study using 2013/14 enrolment data provided by provincial ministries of education for every independent school (that’s a more appropriate term to describe schools not ensconced in the public systems) in Canada revealed a landscape contrary to the stereotype. Another factor related to increased private school enrolment is marketing. Enrolling your child in any school isn’t a lifetime commitment. That's right, private school. It’s no small market with up to 8% of children enrolled in a private school — only a small fraction of an education market that could be worth $70-billion annually in Canada based on the amount spent by governments. With only a few exceptions, including in British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, independent schools are not required to hire certified teachers. “There are private schools now that are fly-by-night places. The StatsCan report identifies two factors that consistently account for differences between public and private school student academic outcomes. Schools with fewer than 20 students at Year 12 were excluded, as were select-entry public schools. Reviews on Private Schools in Ottawa, ON - Westboro Academy, Heritage Academy, Lycee Claudel, Collège Nouvelles Frontières, Astolot Educational Centre, North American Transport Driving Academy Ottawa, Bedmas Academy, Home Tutors 4 U, Ottawa Robotics Academy, Interlangues Language School You can also do a curriculum check yourself, to ensure that the independent schools you’re considering follow courses of study that are the same or better than their public counterparts in your province. “The teachers are all well-dressed, well-spoken, and they’re strong women — and those are the kinds of people I want to teach her.”, Nancy Ng had a similar experience on a tour of La Citadelle, which nailed the decision to enroll her son, Ian, in the Toronto school’s pre-Kindergarten program. READ: More on private schools from the September/October 2014 edition of MoneySense ». Which kids are more successful? And if you’ve heard of a great school in your city, other parents have heard of it, too. In a 2012 Ipsos-Reid poll, 58% of respondents stated they believe private school education is better than public school education; 63% said they would send their children to private schools if they could afford it. Share on Email, Your email address will not be published. Independent schools have boards of directors they are accountable to. “If the school isn’t working out for your kid, then you find another one,” advises Catherine McCauley. Read You’re not the only one ghosting companies that don’t do digital well, Read Unique ideas for your last will and testament, Read Creating your will: a guide for couples. Extensive marketing campaigns touting a private school advantage cannot be underestimated. © 2002-2020 Ratehub Inc. All rights reserved. But, there is substantial and growing evidence that there is no value-added in private school education. 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