School choice would be a win-win-win for Ontario

Ontario is currently the only major Canadian province that does not offer school choice. And it's time for that to change.

The implementation of school choice by the Ford government would be a win-win-win for Ontario, with students, parents and society at large benefiting from educational pluralism.  

Premier Ford is finally stepping up and reforming the province's failing single payer public healthcare system that is deemed a sacred cow. However, the time has come for his government to tackle another sacred cow – the education system. 

Ontario is currently the only major Canadian province that does not offer school choice. Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia already subsidize between 35% and 80% of independent school tuition costs, while Ontario continues to exclusively fund failing one-size fits all systems.

And Ontario’s public systems are failing. 

The province’s standardized testing arm, the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), found the majority of grade 6 students did not meet the provincial standard in math in 2022. This is not a new phenomenon, the poor math scores have been a problem in Ontario for years.

In comparison, 65% of students in British Columbia, where there is school choice, passed their standardized junior math test.

The Fraser Institute has found that students at British Columbia’s independent schools had higher scores on these standardized exams. American studies have also shown that school choice is associated with higher test scores.

The main focus of any education system should be the success of students, and that means allowing them to seek an education that best fits their needs. While that fit may be at their local public school, it also may be at one of Ontario's 1400 independent schools.

According to Cardus, over 40% of Ontario’s independent schools are specialized, offering Montessori and special education among other things, and around 40% are faith-based schools. 

Some people say school choice policies will only result in tax dollars being used to subsidize the elite private school tuition of wealthy Ontarians; however the facts show a different picture.

Only 4% of Ontario’s independent schools are considered to be “elite institutions'', and three out of four of these elite institutions are situated in the GTA. Meanwhile, a 2017 study from the Fraser Institute showed that in British Columbia, where independent school tuition is subsidized, the average income of families who send their kids to non-elite independent schools was $78,894 – just 1.9% above the average income of public school families. 

Kids with specialized needs who are currently struggling in the public system also stand to benefit greatly from school choice. Several private schools have extensive programs that help students climb over their challenges and reach their full potential, in light of their disability.

The Ford government should also allow for the establishment of charter schools as part of a school choice program. The latter are independent schools where students are able to attend without charge as they are publicly funded.

Charter schools already exist in Alberta and several U.S. states, and offer a diversity of education options; including classical, fine arts, language immersion, and even Indigenous teachings – at no cost to families.

In addition to benefiting students, school choice would also be a good thing for the province’s parents amid public schools being plagued with a wokeness epidemic.

There are so many examples to list, but notable ones include white privilege lesson plans, burning books in the name of Indigenous reconciliation, the infamous trans teacher who wore massive grotesque prosthetic breasts to class and the suspension and arrest of high school student Josh Alexander for saying there are only two genders.

While many parents are reconsidering whether their children should attend public school, many end up keeping their kids in woke indoctrinating schools because the other options, which include homeschooling and non-woke independent schools, are just not financially feasible for them.

School choice would change that, and allow for parents to send their kids to these non-woke schools without having to take on financial burdens. Furthermore, charter schools allow for the creation of institutions like the Calgary Classical Academy, whose teachers teach students without implementing political biases.

American researchers have also found that school choice equates to a reduction of crime, and lower risks of teenage pregnancy. School choice is also linked to improved mental health and better futures for those who live in marginalized communities.

Those opposed to school choice claim that the latter is bad for society because it will lead to a neglect of public education, however the latter can be refuted with a great Canadian example. 

When Alberta implemented school choice, Edmonton Public Schools responded by implementing business style management practices to compete with independent schools and retain students. Today, the board offers a variety of specialized programs with 28% of its student population enrolled in them. Furthermore, a large number of Edmonton students now attend public schools that are outside of their neighborhoods. 

When education improves; students, parents, and society win.

In fact, the only people who would lose from Ontario implementing school choice are teachers unions who like to use students as bargaining pawns, as well as woke educrats.

As someone who graduated from an Ontario independent school amid the public school system having failed me, I implore the Ford government to act on its "For The Students" motto and implement a bold school choice program that would deliver a win-win-win for the province of Ontario.