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There are many reasons parents may choose private schools (also known as independent schools) for their children in Canada. Although every family may have a different reason for making this decision, some of the most common reasons are: smaller class sizes, a focused academic setting, enriched quality of education, extracurricular activities, and/or more structure overall. Some parents choose other types of private schools that are more religious and faith-based, as these schools may emphasize certain values and morals that they want their child to learn in a school environment.
There is a significant amount of diversity in the parents of students that attend Canada's private schools. Cardus - a research institution - reports that nearly half of parents whose children are in private schools were born outside of Canada, with parents being 2.4 times more likely to speak a foreign language at home. Also, private school parents are 1.4 times more likely to have post-secondary education and have jobs such as school teachers, doctors, senior managers and engineers.
They also report that private school enrollment has tripled in volume from 1977/78 to 2018/19 in BC. This occurred when partial government funding became possible for qualifying private schools. This number could be even higher if it were not for the large waitlists in BC schools. These numbers bring BC to have the highest share of private school enrolment per capita out of any other province in Canada.
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The diagram below shows the changes in BC school enrollment between 1977/78 to 2018/19 across private schools with direct comparison to public schools.
Figure 1 https://www.cardus.ca/research/education/reports/who-chooses-independent-schools-in-british-columbia-and-why/
With the high tuition, private schools are not a feasible option for many households. Private schools in Canada can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $26,000 annually. Tuition can be pricier or less expensive depending on one's geographical location. For example, in Vancouver, BC, St George's has an annual tuition amount between $26,000 - 28,200 - depending on the type of BC student - and Crofton House has an annual tuition of $26,200. St. George's and Crofton House are both prestigious private schools in Vancouver's Westside. St. George's is an all-boys school, while Crofton House is an all-girls school. These numbers are much higher than the average university tuition.
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As mentioned before, parents who enroll their children in private schools are 1.4 times more likely to have a post-secondary education, which can often mean a higher income. In 2008, Statistics Canada reported that parents of children in private schools had an "equivalent" total income that was 25 percent higher than parents of public school children. The demand for independent schools has been increasing throughout both high income and low income households, but the supply for these schools remains low.
Cardus reports that over 50 percent of BC parents who aim to enroll their kids in private schools have had to make major financial changes to afford the cost of school. They also report that students across all social classes attend private schools, which is why many parents have to think ahead financially. It is mentioned that some parents take on additional part-time jobs, change their jobs, make financial sacrifices, and take out loans. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, Cardus reports that many parents find the cost of sending their children to private schools to be worth it.