Alberta spends the least on public education among provinces: StatsCan

New data from Statistics Canada has confirmed that Alberta is once again the province spending the least on public education in Canada.

The recently released data shows during the 2020-21 school year, Alberta school boards averaged $11,601 per student in operational expenditures, compared to the $13,332 average being spent by every other province.

“Alberta students deserve better. The premier used a provincewide TV address to forecast budget funding that would not keep up with enrolment growth and inflation. For public education, this is nothing new,” said ATA President Jason Schilling in a statement.

“It’s been our reality for years, and that is how we have ended up so far behind every other province.”

The ATA says to keep up with the national average, Alberta school boards would need at least a 13 per cent increase in funding, roughly equivalent to $10 per student, per school day.

“Thursday’s budget will be an interesting test for the government,” said Schilling.

“Will it make Alberta’s students a priority and move them toward the level of funding provided to every other student in Canada, or will it continue to make excuses, overcrowd classrooms, under support students, and demand more from teachers to keep the system afloat?”