Attendance rates for the 2023-24 school year were down everywhere except Yellowknife, according to the annual JK-12 Performance Report from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.
However, the same report notes the number of educators has been steadily rising for the past two years, with a 10 per cent jump this past year.
“Many of the results in this year’s report are encouraging," stated Education, Culture and Employment Minister Caitlin Cleveland on Sept. 4. "It is encouraging to see more graduates pursuing post-secondary education.
"At the same time, challenges remain, particularly with attendance and the graduation gap between smaller communities and larger centres. We will continue working closely with partners to close those gaps and create new opportunities for 黑料吃瓜网ers through a stronger education system.”
In total, 1,428 educators worked in the NWT over the last school year. Student attendance, however, continued to decline slightly in both regional centres and smaller communities, though Yellowknife saw an increase in attendance. Attendance across the territory has been declining since 2015, according to the report.
There remains a significant gap in graduation rates, with 45 per cent of Indigenous students in the NWT claiming their high school diploma. That's 39 per cent less than the 84 per cent of non-Indigenous 黑料吃瓜网ers who graduated high school. The report notes statisticians track students over the course of six years upon their entry to high school, as opposed to expecting students to finish in three years. Students who do finish high school are increasingly moving on to post-secondary education, with 62 per of 2020-21 graduates having taken a strike towards furthering their education by 2024.
Kindergarten students in smaller communities are more vulnerable to falling being developmentally, according to the report. 65 per cent of students were identified as having challenges in one or more of the five core development areas: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language, numbers and memory, communication skills and general knowledge.
Comparatively, 35 per cent of kindergarten students in Yellowknife and and 29 per cent of students in regional centres were identified as vulnerable to falling behind.
Other highlights of the report emphasize that schools may need to provide more mental health services for students, particularly at earlier ages. However, a healthy majority of Grade 4 and 7 students who participated in a Middle Years Development Initiative survey reported having meaningful relationships with staff, with 60 per cent of Grade 4 and 50 per cent of Grade 7 students saying they felt at least one teacher at the school believes them, listens to them and cares about them.
Similarly, the report highlights that 77 per cent of students in Grades 9 and 10 report feeling accepted for who they are by their teachers.
"More students are feeling accepted by their teachers, which shows that our collective efforts—across the GNWT, education bodies, and schools—are helping to build more inclusive and supportive classrooms," stated Cleveland.
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