North Shore public schools rank among the best in the province when it comes to academic achievement, according to the latest Fraser Institute report.
The think tank rated the West Vancouver School District first in the province among public school districts — tied with Revelstoke — based on academic test scores, including results on provincial exams. The North Vancouver School District was also in the top five, sharing fifth place with four other school districts.
Having an “uber-engaged” parent community that supports its schools, as well as a variety of sports academies and programs like International Baccalaureate that speak to students’ passions is part of West Van’s recipe for success, said schools superintendent Chris Kennedy.
That’s especially important in an affluent community like West Van with plenty of competition from private schools, he said. “When (parents) send their children to public school, they’re making a conscious effort to select public education.”
Kennedy stressed while it’s nice to be recognized by the annual report card, the numbers put out by the Fraser Institute only measure one piece of the learning that happens in schools. “I think you have to be really careful in giving it too much weight,” he said.
“I always encourage parents to go and visit schools” rather than look at rankings, he said, adding that conversations between parents on the soccer field are likely more important in where families choose to send their kids to school than Fraser Institute rankings.
Regardless of the reason, families from across the Lower Mainland have been attracted to West Van public schools. Of the approximately 7,000 students enrolled in West Van public schools, 1,000 live outside the school district.
Private schools on the North Shore were well represented at the top of the Fraser Institute’s high school rankings.
Collingwood was the highest-ranked school on the North Shore followed by Mulgrave and St. Thomas Aquinas. Among the North Shore’s public schools, Sentinel ranked highest, followed by Handsworth, Rockridge, Windsor and West Vancouver.
Rob Millard, president of the West Vancouver Teachers’ Association, said he doesn’t put any stock in the Fraser Institute rankings. Millard said public school teachers all do a good job of helping the wide variety of kids who attend school to learn.
Peter Cowley, the report’s author, said the report card provides a reasonable measure of how schools are doing academically.
West Vancouver School District has had to cut $330,000 from next year’s budget as a result of “administrative savings” demanded by the province.
Kennedy said that won’t mean layoffs but will mean cutting back on special projects in the school district.
