Registration of independent schools was required by law only since 1989. Therefore, the numbers for 1990-91 and following are very accurate for the Ministry of Education. Prior to that the number for the FISA Total is very accurate but the non-FISA enrollment is understated as is the Grand Total since some schools did not submit data to either the FISA or Statistics Canada. The FISA’s best estimate of understatement is a number between 500 and 750 students for the years 1969-70 to 1989-90. Prior to 1969-70 the only agency collection enrollment data was Statistics Canada. The degree of under- reporting is not known. Students in BC’s public and independent schools are able to cross-enroll into either sector. As a result, independent school headcount enrollments may include, as part of their September 30 headcount, cross-enrolled students whose school of record is a public school or another independent school. The Ministry of Education adjusts the headcount on its calculations to ensure that each student’s PIN is only reported with the school of record. Therefore, we suggest that the MoE enrollment statistics be used for reporting purposes. Source: The Grand Total column numbers (total annual independent school enrollment) for 1989-90 and prior years are taken from Historical Statistics of Canada, 2nd. Edition, by Statistics Canada, page w118-141, published 1983; and Elementary-Secondary Enrollment, Table 7, Catalogue No. 81-210, various years, by Statistics Canada. All enrollment numbers are head-count and not full-time equivalent students. The Grand Total column numbers for the years 1990-91 and following are from the Ministry of Education, School Finance and Data Management Branch, Report 4551D, various years; and Student Statistics, various years. The numbers in the other columns are produced by FISA BC based on annual reporting of independent schools to FISA BC. In 2003-04 the ACSIBC was formed from schools previously in the AMG. The number of independent schools in BC grew from 176 in 1970 to 363 in 2015.
