PDF version

BCTF Research Report

SECTION IV
2005-SD-01

Full-time-equivalent Student Enrolment by District,
2001–02 to 2004–05

By Colleen Hawkey
Research Analyst

Student enrolments in B.C. public schools have experienced a decline over the past four years.As shown in Table 1, between 2001–02 and 2004–05, full-time-equivalent (FTE) student enrolments declined by 3.2%, compared to 7.8% for teachers and 4.7% for administrative officers. At the provincial level, there has been a total decline in student FTEs of 19,274 over this period.

Table 1: Teacher, Administrative Officer, and Student FTEs for the Province,
2001–02 to 2004-05: year-over-year % chang

	Teachers		Administrative Officers		Students
	FTEs	% Change	FTEs	% Change	FTEs	% Change
2001–02	33,275.44	-	2,668.43	-	596,431.8	-
2002–03	31,299.36	-5.9%	2,597.64	-2.7%	588,809.0	-1.3%
2003–04	30,717.04	-1.9%	2,557.58	-1.5%	582,440.1	-1.1%
2004–05	30,666.01	-0.2%	2,543.82	-0.5%	577,158.3	-0.9%

Source: Ministry of Education Form 1530 data (unpublished); Ministry of Education Student Enrolment Reports 2000–01 – 2004–05, Provincial Report, accessed on the World Wide Web on December 10, 2004 at www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reportfinder/publicschools.php.

In Table 2, below, the district-level data show that over the four-year period between 2001 and 2004, nine districts experienced enrolment growth, ranging from 1% growth in SD45, West Vancouver to over 21% in SD93, Conseil scolaire francophone.

In terms of full-time-equivalent increases, SD36, Surrey experienced the greatest increase, at 2,689 FTE students. Conseil scolaire francophone (574 FTEs), SD40, New Westminster (490 FTEs) and SD34, Abbotsford (418 FTEs) were also higher-growth districts.

Table 2: Full-time-equivalent student enrolments in B.C. public schools, 2001-02 to 2004-05
by District, sorted by % change

School District		Student FTEs				Difference between 2001-02 and 2004-05	% Change 2001-02 to 2004-05
		2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004-05
74	Gold Trail	2,662.9375	2,187.4375	1,958.875	1,870.4688	-792.4687	-29.8%
85	Vancouver Island North	2,415.325	2,191	1,951	1,835.875	-579.45	-24.0%
87	Stikine	345.937	322.4686	299.6901	272.25	-73.687	-21.3%
49	Central Coast	367	346	321.125	308	-59	-16.1%
52	Prince Rupert	3,220.5	2,969.2812	2,823.5625	2,733.3128	-487.1872	-15.1%
82	Coast Mountains	7,078	6,682	6,302	6,039.125	-1,038.875	-14.7%
10	Arrow Lakes	764.75	683.5625	670.25	657.1875	-107.5625	-14.1%
50	Haida Gwaii-Queen Charlotte	947.6249	957.75	882.125	818.875	-128.7499	-13.6%
5	Southeast Kootenay	6,713.475	6,424	6,115.4375	5,814.125	-899.35	-13.4%
47	Powell River	2,988.5	2,858.25	2,738.5625	2,608.1875	-380.3125	-12.7%
20	Kootenay-Columbia	5,292.25	5,047.25	4,786.9375	4,619.875	-672.375	-12.7%
27	Cariboo-Chilcotin	7,563.625	7,027.9375	6,861.25	6,642.625	-921	-12.2%
84	Vancouver Island West	557.625	518	509	490	-67.625	-12.1%
6	Rocky Mountain	4,063.6875	3,867	3,701.0625	3,602.885	-460.8025	-11.3%
28	Quesnel	4,595.6688	4,408.023	4,330.1434	4,091.3125	-504.3563	-11.0%
51	Boundary	2,037.6875	1,851.25	1,845.375	1,823.125	-214.5625	-10.5%
57	Prince George	17,663.875	16,873.5375	16,130.4375	15,827.625	-1,836.25	-10.4%
54	Bulkley Valley	2,856.4375	2,746.625	2,697.8125	2,563.25	-293.1875	-10.3%
72	Campbell River	6,890.125	6,565.75	6,323.375	6,185.9375	-704.1875	-10.2%
8	Kootenay Lake	6,371.75	6,219.5375	5,920.9388	5,768.375	-603.375	-9.5%
58	Nicola-Similkameen	3,310.975	3,118.9375	3,019.075	3,006.5	-304.475	-9.2%
19	Revelstoke	1,430.0625	1,397.9375	1,361.625	1,304.75	-125.3125	-8.8%
53	Okanagan Similkameen	3,106.8125	3,038.3125	2,941.375	2,845.9375	-260.875	-8.4%
73	Kamloops/Thompson	16,548.4	16,022.6875	15,534.75	15,299	-1,249.4	-7.5%
81	Fort Nelson	1,204.5	1,156.9375	1,170.9875	1,116.6875	-87.8125	-7.3%
83	North Okanagan-Shuswap	8,280.135	8,089.5625	7,871.5601	7,681.6299	-598.5051	-7.2%
79	Cowichan Valley	10,236.4605	9,675.6875	9,609	9,534.0625	-702.398	-6.9%
46	Sunshine Coast	4,227.125	4,227.1875	4,092.9375	3,962.6875	-264.4375	-6.3%
70	Alberni	5,046.625	4,906.0625	4,769.125	4,756.25	-290.375	-5.8%
61	Greater Victoria	21,511.6431	21,047.3934	20,493.7191	20,298.4379	-1,213.2052	-5.6%
59	Peace River South	4,906.4375	4,940.5625	4,725.625	4,663.5625	-242.875	-5.0%
68	Nanaimo-Ladysmith	16,234.75	15,886.375	15,747.0625	15,482.6975	-752.0525	-4.6%
35	Langley	20,114.1625	19,827.9375	19,627.8125	19,182.75	-931.4125	-4.6%
67	Okanagan Skaha	7,517.6875	7,434.8125	7,173.0625	7,171.0625	-346.625	-4.6%
64	Gulf Islands	1,754.1875	1,760.75	1,717.75	1,682.25	-71.9375	-4.1%
43	Coquitlam	32,762.25	32,417.3125	32,092.25	31,651	-1,111.25	-3.4%
71	Comox Valley	9,942.6562	9,873.3125	9,537.8125	9,606	-336.6562	-3.4%
23	Central Okanagan	22,129.625	21,743.0625	21,587.375	21,428.625	-701	-3.2%
78	Fraser-Cascade	2,349.25	2,293	2,289.25	2,275.375	-73.875	-3.1%
38	Richmond	23,281.2812	22,938.375	22,751.6875	22,638.375	-642.9062	-2.8%
44	North Vancouver	18,188.875	18,127.6875	17,900.8125	17,706.5	-482.375	-2.7%
48	Howe Sound	4,510.75	4,550.375	4,410.625	4,400.8125	-109.9375	-2.4%
22	Vernon	9,483.5	9,422	9,317.125	9,263.25	-220.25	-2.3%
39	Vancouver	58,238.6914	58,097.8043	57,609.3421	56,892.4761	-1,346.2153	-2.3%
37	Delta	17,300.3125	17,094.25	17,065.5	16,903.4376	-396.8749	-2.3%
60	Peace River North	5,892.5875	5,804	5,712.9375	5,771.3125	-121.275	-2.1%
63	Saanich	9,034.9375	9,086.0625	8,890.375	8,927.5625	-107.375	-1.2%
69	Qualicum	5,273.875	5,256.625	5,178.875	5,219.75	-54.125	-1.0%
41	Burnaby	24,132.413	23,988.5208	24,081.5319	23,934.7926	-197.6204	-0.8%
75	Mission	7,133.9	7,205.625	7,346.125	7,087	-46.9	-0.7%
62	Sooke	8,818.4375	8,789.375	8,787.375	8,793	-25.4375	-0.3%
45	West Vancouver	6,475.0625	6,482.5	6,545.25	6,538	62.9375	1.0%
42	Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows	15,044.375	15,074.625	15,249.5625	15,207.5625	163.1875	1.1%
33	Chilliwack	12,489.74	12,758.6875	12,581	12,643.1875	153.4475	1.2%
34	Abbotsford	18,848.375	19,115.5	19,271.875	19,265.9375	417.5625	2.2%
36	Surrey	59,601.5085	60,805.0774	61,511.875	62,290.1875	2,688.679	4.5%
91	Nechako Lakes	5,393.5625	5,314.5312	5,778	5,711.375	317.8125	5.9%
40	New Westminster	6,096.625	6,057.3125	6,383.125	6,586.825	490.2	8.0%
92	Nisga'a	500.5	483	572	599	98.5	19.7%
93	Conseil scolaire francophone	2,682	2,752.625	2,964	3,256.25	574.25	21.4%
	All Public	596,431.8346	588,809.0499	582,440.1	577,158.2757	-19,273.5589	-3.2%

Source: Ministry of Education 2000–01 to 2004–05 Enrolment Report Collection, Excel 2000 version, www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reporting/enrol/collections.htm. In 2005 the Ministry of Education changed the data-reporting format and definitions used in their standard reports. Previous reports comparing student and teacher or student and administrator full-time-equivalents used ministry Standard Report #2077 as the source of student FTE data. SR#2077 is no longer available, making comparisons with previous reports difficult. Included in the numbers reported here are school-age and adult students enrolled in public schools in the following programs: Alternate Education, Continuing Education, Distance Education, Long-Term PRP, Standard School, and Youth Custody. These were previously reported separately. School-age students are those "who are 5 or older as of December 30 of the school year, and 19 or younger as of June 30 at the end of the school year." Adult students are "20 years of age or older as of June 30 at the end of the school year." Also, in this report, FTE refers to enrolment, not funded enrolment, and includes all students working toward a Dogwood Certificate, excluding home-schooled students.

For a comparison of staffing changes, refer to a previously published research report, "Teacher, Administrative Officer, and Student numbers, 2001–02 to 2004–05" (2005-TD-01) available on the Web atbctf.ca/ResearchReports/2005td01/report.htmlor from chawkey@bctf.ca.

Other research reports providing demographic information about the public school system in B.C. are available on the BCTF web site at bctf.ca/ResearchReports/#Demographics.

For more information about the data in this report contact Colleen Hawkey at chawkey@bctf.ca.