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By Deani Van Pelt
and Derek J. Allison
The Fraser Institute

Many British Columbians likely believe that private schools are exclusively for elite families in major urban centres. This misperception of independent schools (a more accurate term to describe non-government schools) impedes honest debate about the benefits of independent schools in the province.

A recent Fraser Institute study based on provincial ministry data of every independent school in Canada found that rather than conforming to the dominant stereotype of the traditional private school (St. George’s in Vancouver, for example), independent schools actually come in a wide variety of types and serve many educational preferences.

Deani Van Pelt

In 2013/14, British Columbia was home to 340 independent schools with 75,401 students, which accounted for 12.3 percent of all school enrolment in the province. In other words, one of every eight students attends an independent school in B.C.

Contrary to the “urban” stereotype, more than two of every five independent schools (42.9 percent) in B.C. are located in rural or small/medium-sized population centres.

And more remarkably, only five percent conform to the image of the traditional “elite” stereotype, which leaves 95 percent of independent schools outside the “elite” sphere.

There are two major types of independent schools in B.C. – schools with a religious orientation and specialty schools.

More than 55 percent of the province’s independent schools have a religious orientation. Exactly half (50.0 percent) are Christian (non-Catholic) schools, 42.0 percent are Catholic, 3.2 percent are Jewish, 2.7 percent are Islamic and 2.1 percent have other religious perspectives.

Derek Allison

The vast majority of independent school students in B.C. (70.4 percent) attend a religious-based school – an important fact since government-run schools in the province do not offer any religious alternatives like in other provinces. Subsequently, parents wanting a religious education for their children must rely on the independent school sector.

The other major type of independent school provides a unique approach to teaching (Montessori, for example), an emphasis on special needs students, or a specialized focus on distinct content. Sixty-eight such schools exist in B.C., representing 20 percent of all independent schools in the province.

Contrary to the “elitist” caricature of private schools, independent schools in B.C. offer diverse approaches to education, particularly religious-based education and alternative pedagogies. It’s time we recognize the “other 95 percent” of independent schools in B.C. and the value they provide to students and parents across the province.

Deani Van Pelt and Derek J. Allison are co-authors of the recently released study A Diverse Landscape: Independent Schools in Canada.

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B .C. independent schools

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