Ontario is seeing explosive growth in independent schools, according to a report done by the Cardus Institute. .“Unlike Quebec and every Western province, Ontario offers zero taxpayer funding for independent schools, yet many parents value them enough to pay for tuition over and above the taxes they contribute towards district schools,” said Cardus Education Director and report co-author David Hunt in a Tuesday press release. .“Ontario’s Ministry of Education, political leaders, researchers, the media, and the public should seek to understand why our neighbours, friends, and family members are making these choices.”.Hunt said he hopes the report “sheds new light.” .The report said there are at least 1,445 independent schools in Ontario — up by almost 52% since 2013-2014. .Enrolment increased by 29,531 students from 2013-2014 to 2019-2020, the most growth of any Canadian province. The schools educated more than 154,000 students in Ontario as of 2019-2020. .The report went on to say two-fifths of independent schools have a specialization, such as special education or Montessori. It added 4% of the schools are elite institutions. .Three-quarters of elite schools are in the Greater Toronto Area. Less than two-fifths of them are religiously based. .The report continued by saying one-quarter of independent schools are Jewish or Muslim. It said 64% of independent schools are in the suburbs, while 28% are in rural or semi-rural areas. .Hunt said there is “extraordinary diversity among Ontario’s independent schools.”.“Each school serves unique and specific student needs that district schools either don’t or can’t meet,” he said. .This increase in independent schools in Ontario comes amid the Calgary Classical Academy (CCA) launching in September, becoming Canada’s first ever non-denominational classical education charter school. .READ MORE: Calgary Classical Academy offers different approach to education.“The classical movement has been growing in the United States, and we’re really the first of our kind in Canada,” said CCA principal Colleen Parks. .Classical education involves students studying classic works of literature, philosophy, history, and art. This curriculum is done through the trivium progression, moving through the stages of grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
