School enrolment is still trending upward in Chilliwack, but the number of kids who have shown up in class is well down.
Chilliwack’s enrolment growth has been steady for several years, and an early head count this September shows its continued despite the pandemic. The official head count for funding is on Sept. 30 each year, but the initial count gives the district an early look at their needs for the year.
On Sept. 16, 2019, there were 13,149 students enrolled in the district.
On Sept. 14, this year, there were 13,370 students enrolled.
However, nearly a thousand students in the district have opted to learn from home, at least for now.
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Just over 900 students have enrolled in the district’s transition support program, which keeps them enrolled and connected to their school and teacher. It’s a temporary program and the intent is to let students work from home until they are ready to return to the classroom.
Those students are spread across Kindergarten to Grade 12. There are 558 elementary students in the transition program, 203 middle school students, and 165 secondary school students.
In a report to the school board on Sept. 15, senior district staff explained how the transition program works. They also dove into the rest of the school restart plan, in a presentation that took about half an hour.
There are also 13 students enrolled to home school through the Ministry of Education.
The next board meeting is on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m., via Zoom.
ALSO READ: Chilliwack school district releases back-to-school protocols
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