Despite a rocky - and late - start to the school year, enrolment in public schools is up this year in both North and West Vancouver.
In West Vancouver, students who come from North Vancouver, other areas of the Lower Mainland and an increasing number of international fee-paying students all helped boost enrolment by about 160 students this year.
Last year, there were 7,120 students - including international students - attending schools in West Vancouver, said superintendent Chris Kennedy. This year, that's up to 7,280 students.
"It came as a bit of a surprise to us coming out of the labour dispute," said Kennedy, adding he's heard that enrolment at private schools in West Vancouver was also up this September.
"I heard first hand from families who decided to enrol in independent schools," during the teachers' strike, he said.
Kennedy said the increase among local students is primarily at the elementary level. Schools at the eastern edge of the school district, which are close to main transportation corridors, also tend to have higher enrolments, because they attract students from outside the district, said Kennedy, including students from North Vancouver, Squamish and Vancouver. Typically, West Vancouver has about 1,000 students enrolling in its schools from outside the district every year.
About 600 international students also attend schools in West Vancouver, coming from China, Germany, Mexico and Brazil.
Those families tend to pick West Vancouver because of published academic results from its schools, said Kennedy.
"There's definitely a growth market in China," he said.
In the larger North Vancouver school district, enrolment is also up - from projections of 15,110 students to close to 15,200.
"It's right across the grades," said superintendent John Lewis.
Lewis said more families have been moving into the community, some of those from out of the country.
Enrolment is higher in the City of North Vancouver schools, where there is more rental housing available, he said. Carson Graham, Ridgeway and Queen Mary have also seen increased enrolment.
Students who take their courses online have also helped to boost the district's numbers. Many students - including a number from outside of the school district - take those online classes to add extra courses, said Lewis. There are also about 660 international students who attend North Vancouver schools, he said. Those students aren't counted in official enrolment figures.
Lewis said demographically, there are still more students graduating Grade 12 each year than entering kindergarten. But the steep decline in enrolment seen in past years is leveling off, he said.
Special programs like the international baccalaureate, early French Immersion programs and sports academy programs also help to retain and attract students to the school district.
