Catholic school enrolment exceeds 23,000

Continued growth at Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools has pushed total student enrolment passed 23,000 students.

As of September 30, 2024, enrolment for pre-kindergarten – Grade 12 students in the division is 23,009, which is 920 more students compared to the same period in the 2023-24 school year.

“We’ve been very blessed that parents and caregivers continue to choose Catholic education,” said Diane Boyko, Board of Education chair. “We’ve welcomed about 2,500 students in the past two years. Knowing that parents and caregivers are entrusting us with the education of their children is quite humbling. I’m really proud of the work our teachers and staff do to provide welcoming learning environments.”

Mirroring growth in the province, families new to Canada are significant portion of enrolment growth, accounting for 470 students. A trend toward urbanization in the province is also a contributing factor.

While it is welcome, sustained growth brings challenges. “We’ve added the equivalent of six or seven schools worth of students in three years, but we have not had a new school built since 2017,” said Boyko. “We only have so many non-classroom spaces we can convert to classrooms and only so much room for portable classrooms. These temporary measures are important, but there’s an urgency to build new schools—both elementary and high school—to accommodate our growth.”

The province announced plans to build a new east-side high school and a new elementary school in Brighton. At least three more schools—in addition to those announced—are needed to alleviate over-capacity pressures and plan for future growth.

“We will continue to work with the Ministry of Education to encourage investment in both facilities and in properly funding education with the staff and resources students need to be successful,” added Boyko.

Enrolment data has been submitted to the Ministry of Education for verification and approval. Depending on provincial enrolment numbers, additional funding later in the year to support higher-than-projected enrolment is a possibility.

With 50 schools and over 23,000 students, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools is Saskatchewan’s largest Catholic school division, providing Catholic education from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 in Saskatoon and area, Biggar, Humboldt, Martensville and Warman. We are rooted in faith, growing in knowledge and reaching out to transform the world.