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BC  

Schools by the numbers

There are a lot of parents out buying pencils, lunch kits and new running shoes for the start of the school year next month.

In fact, 528,689 full-time students are expected to be heading back to B.C.'s 1,578 public schools and 350 independent schools this September.

While student numbers are increasing by a few thousand this fall, there are 60,000 fewer students in school in B.C. than there were during the 2000-01 school year.

Other provincial statistics show:

  • Total funding to school districts will reach $5.10 billion for the 2016/17 school year
  • The average per-pupil funding is now an estimated $8,963, an increase of 42 per cent since 2000-01
  • A $2 million Rural Education Enhancement Fund will help keep some schools open, including in the South Okanagan.

Computer technology is a given in B.C. schools. Over 69,700 students took at least one online course in 2015-16 – more than double what it was ten years ago.

For those schools in quake zones, there are 61 projects in development under the Seismic Mitigation Program. Over the next three years, $560 million has been set aside to upgrade high-risk seismic schools across the province.

And parents concerned their child may be bullied can be assured all districts have a safe school coordinator and over 15,500 educators have received training as part of the Expect Respect and A Safe Education (ERASE) strategy. 



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