1. Private and Public School Funding
Show me the money!
Private and Public School Funding

2. Definition
Private schools can be for-profit or not-for-profit organizations established and controlled by one or more persons
E.g. being part of a church
Independent schools are not-for-profit schools that are accountable to a board of trustees
Independent board of trustees
Reference:

3. Classification of Independent Schools
Group 1 and 2 need to meet certain facility and curriculum criteria that qualifies the schools for provincial funding
Group 1 schools receive 50% of per-student operating costs of the local public school
Group 1 type of schools employs B.C. certified teachers and the programs offered need to met the learning outcomes of B.C. curriculum
Group 2 schools receive 35% of per-student operating costs of the local public school
Group 2 schools receive a lower percentage because these schools are typically university preparatory schools
Reference:

4. 4 Categorization of Independent Schools
Group 3: schools within this category are not required to meet the Group 1 requirements
Group 4 schools cater mainly to non-provincial students and do not receive public funding
More information on the classification of private schools: training/administration/legislation-policy/independent-schools/classification- of-independent-schools
List of Independent Schools in B.C.: y=Independent%20School
Reference:

5. Facts-Public School
According to BCTF BC Education Facts (p.3) in the year 2012 there were 1,582 open public schools; a decrease of 200 schools from 2002
In the academic year there was reportedly (BCTF BC Education, p. 8) 549,836 students enrolled in public schools
According to Frenette & Chan (2015) published by Statcan in 2015:
Private schools had fewer girls than public schools; girls are more likely to pursues university studies
Reference: BCTF 2012 Education Facts
Frenette & Chan published by Statcan in 2015:

6. Facts-Private Schools
There are 348 private schools in B.C.
76,000 students in B.C. attend independent schools and the number is steadily increasing
It is 12% of the province’s k-12 population
Private schools in B.C. received $315 million in provincial funding for the year (
An increase from $251 million received in the academic year of
Issue: there are public schools closing or lacking resources/support programs as a result of not having enough funds
Tuition costs for a private school can range from $4,000 to over $40,000 per academic year (Vancouver tuition costs at the end of the page: )
Reference:

7. Funding
More than 85% of B.C.’s private schools receive some provincial funding which increases affordability (
Receive around $150 million per year
Families can apply for grants and bursaries
Private schools are not subject to budget limitation imposed by the state
There are tax breaks when attending private schools
“British Columbia may also help you pay for private school through tax breaks. Two particular types of schools are noteworthy here. First, if you send your child to a faith- based school, paying for its tuition may count as charitable donation for which you will receive a tax credit. Similarly, enrolling your child in a school for students with special needs may allow you to claim medical tax benefits.” (according to
According to 2012 BC education facts (p.31-34)
School districts with the highest amount of school-generated revenue include Vancouver, Surrey and Coquitlam; generating around $50 million
Vancouver and Coquitlam are also in the top 5 districts for receiving the most tuition revenue from international students
Reference:
2012 BC education facts: :

8. Private schools
Private schools have selective enrollment-which is why some private schools can state that 99% of their graduates attend university ( paper.com/category/bc-private-school-funding/)
In a study by Frenette & Chan published by Statcan in 2015 found:
“Private high school students score significantly higher than public school students on reading, mathematics, and science assessments at age 15, and have higher levels of educational attainment by age 23.”
Socio-economic traits positively associated with academic success
School peers with university-educated parents
Compared to public schools higher percentage of private school students
lived in 2-parent families with both biological parents
Parent total income was higher
Lived in homes with more books and computers
More likely to live in an urban area
“Higher GPA among students that went to a religious private high school, compared with their private and public school counterparts. However, the relationship weakened as students proceeded through college, and disappeared entirely by junior or senior year.”
Reference:
Frenette & Chan (2015).

9. Issues: Public school funding is decreasing
According to 2012 BC Education facts (p.27)
Reference

10. Issues:
Should the public be funding schools that are not open to all students?
Borderline abuse of Tax breaks?
“According to Revenue Canada, lunch, recess and after-school activities at elite private schools aren’t education, they’re day-care. The CRA grants over $3600 in annual child-care deductions against the tuition cost of every student at St. George’s, until the age of 16.”
“The elite Catholic boys' school Vancouver College, issues a tax receipt for 80 per cent of tuition”
haven-rich
If all private and independent schools closed down, public system would see an increase of around 70,000 students, would the $300 million that the private schools receive be enough money to cover the costs of these 70,000 students in the public system?
Reference: 2012 BC education facts p.30

11. References
Globe and mail: hot-issue-of-funding-private-schools-amid-bc-labour-dispute/article /
BCTF 2012 Education Facts:
Academic Outcomes of Public and Private High School Students: What Lies Behind the Differences? By Frenette & Chan (2015)
National Observer school-tax-haven-rich
B.C. classification of Independent schools: training/administration/legislation-policy/independent-schools/classification-of- independent-schools
Grouping of independent schools in B.C. dependent%20School
School funding:
Vancouver private schools:

12. Other resources:
Federation of Independent School Association we/about-bc-independent-schools
Education system Provincial reports:
BCTF independent school funding: