It was a mixed result for both elementary and secondary schools in Prince George following the latest Fraser Institute rankings in BC.
The two highest rated schools in the northern capital were Cedars Christian which ranked 86th out of 293 secondary schools while Westside Academy was the highest rated elementary school at 84th out of 946.
Several facilities in School District 57 rated in the middle and lower tiers but chair Tim Bennett says the rankings list isn’t the be all, end all.
“While it is very important that public education is held accountable for the results we are putting out for students, the Fraser Institute report is not the best way of judging our students in our district.”
A number of public elementary schools that ranked near the bottom are from Prince George and include Quinson (923rd), Ron Brent (928th), Westwood (891st) and Highglen Montessori (916th), Harwin (849th)and Spruceland (882nd).
Bennett is of the opinion the final ranking doesn’t properly recognize the work that’s being done by the students.
“The neighborhood in which they live, the demographics of the neighborhood and the average income of those neighborhoods all play a factor in the rating, so regardless of how they may be performing they are going to rate low because on this metric, which gives the school an unfair rating.”
SD 57 encourages any parents who may have concerns about the said schools to go for a visit and check out what is happening before rushing to judgment.
“Go into the schools and talk to principles to find out the great things that are happening and to also visit the ministry’s website and look at reading rates and graduation rates and the data they put out to get a real good sense on what schools are doing in our community.”
Despite the less than flattering result for some schools, SD 57 has taken several steps to improve the learning environment for students who are currently attending these schools.
“Using some of the data on elementary reading rates and making sure they are performing at grade level and that is something they have looked at the last couple of years and have brought in some pretty comprehensive early intervention programs and those started in September and something the board is getting updated regularly,” adds Bennett.
For a full list of the secondary rankings click here
The most up-to-date list for elementary schools can be found here.
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