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Updated March 2019

Graduation Rates in BC 

Graduation rates of BC secondary students have steadily increased in the last 15 years.¹ 

Between 2003–04 and 2017–18, the six-year Dogwood Diploma completion rates for public school students increased by 5.7%. The gap in completion rates between male and female students decreased from 8.2% to 3.5%.

Graduation rates for Aboriginal students increased and the gap in graduation rates between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students has narrowed.² 

The six-year Dogwood completion rate of Aboriginal students increased from 46.8% to 69.6% in the last fifteen years. The difference in completion rates of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students has also decreased from 35.1% in 2003–04 to 16.9% in 2017–18.

Source: Ministry of Education. (2019). BC Schools - Six Year Completion Rate.
Values are rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent.

Graduation rates for student in English Language Learner programs has increased.³

The six-year Dogwood completion rate of students in ELL programs has increased by 5.3% in the last fifteen years.

Source: Ministry of Education. (2019). BC Schools - Six Year Completion Rate. Values are rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent.

However, the graduation rate of non-resident students has fallen, and the gap between non-resident and other students has increased.⁴

The six-year Dogwood completion rate of non-resident students has fallen from 54.9% to 49.2% in the last fifteen years, and the gap between non-resident students and other students has increased from 24.5% to 39.3%. This suggests that non-resident students need more supports than they are currently receiving.

Source: Ministry of Education. (2019). BC Schools - Six Year Completion
Rate. Values are rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent.

¹ Ministry of Education. (2019). BC Schools - Six Year Completion Rate.

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ibid.