Student migration around district creating pressure on Valley schools enrolment in Valley's schools
Okanagan Sunday
September 14, 2008
By: J.P. Squire

The new school year is off to a smooth start, according to Mike Roberts.

…. The most significant issue addressed during the first week was the continued large movement of families within the school district, said Roberts.

"Although we still have minimally declining enrolment overall, some specific neighbourhoods have seen a large influx of new families. …This migration of students around the district creates enrolment pressures at some schools while leaving vacant classrooms at others, he said, adding the movement of families to the newer neighbourhoods is expected to continue in the coming years….

Of long-term concern is the lower number of students starting kindergarten compared to the number of Grade 12s.

"This decline in the number of school-age children entering the education system is representative of trends in past years across the province," said Roberts.

Although the overall population of the Central Okanagan is growing rapidly, the region's demographics continue to "grey," said Roberts.

"Smaller families with parents having children later in life mean there are fewer students entering our schools in kindergarten than there are leaving at the end of Grade 12….