Like much of BC, a private school sits on top of this year’s Fraser Institute secondary school rankings in Prince George.
The ever controversial study takes seven factors into account when creating its ratings;
(1) the average exam mark in the grade-10, grade-11, and grade-12 courses that include a mandatory provincial exam;
(2) percentage of grade-10, grade-11, and grade-12 mandatory provincial examinations failed;
(3) average difference between the school mark and the examination mark in the courses considered in (1) and (2) above;
(4) average difference between male and female students in their exam mark in English 10;
(5) average difference between male and female students in their exam mark in Mathematics 10;
(6) graduation rate;
(7) delayed advancement rate
School District 57 Vice Chair Tim Bennett says parents shouldn’t pay too much attention to the rankings, noting that schools are usually at the mercy of the neighbourhood they are situated in. He says he not opposed to an audit of schools, but that it could be done much better.
“I don’t think they should be ranked, but ensuring that students are learning what they need to learn, and ensuring that our staff do that job they are hired to do – but if you are going to evaluate schools taking into factors that are outside what the school can control.”
The Fraser Institute says in this year’s report, 28 schools experienced declines in performance since the school year 2010/2011, while 21 schools have improved their performance.
Mackenzie Secondary is the second fasting declining school in the province, tumbling from a 4.9 in 2011 to 2.1 in 2015.
The full report can be found here.
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