We would like to share with our community at the Giles School this important article that discusses the massive shift in preference from public to private schools post-pandemic Canada. Amongst other reasons, one of the most important ones is how the online setup in private schools was exceedingly more structured than in public schools. The smaller class sizes and a greater level of attention given to each student was also contributing factor.

This had a domino effect where enrolments in private schools rose significantly. Parents took tough decisions such as preparing to work after retirement, delaying their mortgage payments, and even finding extra work to fund private education. This inclination towards private schooling is not new, by the way. In fact, in 2019, Cardus (a public policy think tank) reported that almost seventy percent of parents sending their kids to private schools in Ontario had to make significant financial changes to afford the cost. The percentage was 88% in Alberta. Instances were recorded of parents going as far as renting out rooms, starting new businesses, or moving to smaller houses to generate funds for tuition.

In this vein, many schools are offering grants as well. In fact, in the 2020-21 academic year, Canadian private schools received upwards of $90 million in financial aid, a 26% rise over the aid given in 2016-17. Enrolments applications for private schools rose from about four people per seat to six. Financial analysts say that it is better to get loans than to dip into savings due to tax structure.

You can check the full article by visiting this Link.