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CALGARY — A new study from the Fraser Institute is examining trends in public school spending across Canada, with Alberta recording one of the smallest increases among the provinces over the past decade.
The study says Alberta spent $9.8 billion on public schools in 2023-24, up 18.2 per cent from 2014-15.
That increase was lower than every province except Newfoundland and Labrador, which recorded a 3.4-per-cent decline over the same period.
Nationally, public school spending reached $93.3 billion in 2023-24, up 44.8 per cent from 2014-15.
Quebec recorded the largest increase at 72 per cent, followed by Prince Edward Island at 64.3 per cent and British Columbia at 61.8 per cent.
Nova Scotia spending increased 55.2 per cent, New Brunswick 54.5 per cent, Ontario 39.4 per cent, Manitoba 31.2 per cent and Saskatchewan 21.3 per cent.
In dollar terms, Alberta had the fourth-highest total among the provinces at $9.8 billion, behind Ontario at $37.3 billion, Quebec at $23.2 billion and British Columbia at $10 billion.
The Fraser Institute says Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba all experienced declines in inflation-adjusted per-student spending despite increases in total spending.
The think-tank says rising enrolment, higher inflation and the effects of COVID-19 school closures placed additional pressure on provincial education budgets.
It says immigration increased sharply between 2021 and 2024, contributing to higher K-12 enrolment, while inflation was also running above the Bank of Canada’s two-per-cent target.
Inflation reached 6.8 per cent in 2022.
Fraser Institute senior fellow Paige MacPherson said provinces were left trying to accommodate faster-than-expected growth in both enrolment and costs.
“Massively increasing immigration does not occur in a vacuum,” MacPherson said. “This is just one example of how federal government policies trickle down to the provinces and even municipalities, severely impacting programs.”
The institute says Alberta’s 18.2-per-cent increase in total public school spending over the period was well below the national increase of 44.8 per cent.
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