How does your child’s school rank? Fraser Institute releases academic performance of Ontario high schools

BY PAUL JUNOR

A press release issued on Tuesday, January 7^th, 2025, regarding the 2024 ranking of 746: public, Catholic and independent schools. can be seen on the website: www.compareschoolranking.org. The annual report was compiled by the following individuals: Peter Cowley (Senior Fellow and former Director of School Performance Studies at the Fraser Institute), Joel Emes (President of Abacus Economics and a Fraser Institute Fellow) and Max Shang (Economist at the Fraser Institute).

In the press release, Peter Cowley states, “Our Report Card offers parents information they can’t easily get anywhere else about how their child’s school performs and how it compares to other schools in Ontario.” In response to criticism of The Fraser Institute’s report, the press release summarizes that, “The data suggests every school can improve regardless of: type, location, and student characteristics.”

The press release highlights schools such as: Georges-P-Vanier in Hamilton, and Northern Secondary School in Sturgeon Falls that have made significant gains. Crowley notes further, “It doesn’t matter where a school is ranked, or what challenges its students may face. The evidence is clear; all types of schools, located all over the province with different types of students are all capable of improvement.”

The rankings of the schools were based on eight academic indicators obtained from the results of publicly administered tests. The tests were conducted by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). Some of the academic indicators include:

• The average level of achievement on the grade-9 EQAO assessment in mathematics
• The percentage of Ontario Secondary School Literacy (OSSL) written by first-time eligible students that were successfully completed
• The percentage of Ontario Secondary School Literacy Tests written by previously eligible students that were successfully completed
• The percentage of all the completed tests written by students at the school that were assessed either as unsuccessful (OSSLT), or below the provincial standard (grade-9 math tests)
• The difference between male and female students in their average levels of achievements on grade-9 EQAO assessments in mathematics
• The difference between male and female students attempting the OSSLT for the first time in their rate of successful completion of the test.

For parents and guardians who are interested in the complete results on all ranked schools and to compare the performance of different schools, they can check the website: www.compareschoolsranking.org.