Spending on Canadian public schools up 44.8% from 2014/15 to 2023/24; surges in immigration, inflation and COVID-19 school closures imposed pressures on provincial education spending

EmitenTrust.com VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 22, 2026 /CNW/ -- Spending on public schools across Canada increased by 44.8 per cent from 2014/15 to 2023/24, but surges in immigration and inflation, and Covid-19 government school closures imposed significant pressures on government spending on public schools, finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

"While parents rightly look at education spending on public schools as a reflection of provincial government decision-making, recent surges in immigration and inflationary spikes, which are largely due to federal policies as well as Covid-19 government school closures significantly impacted per-student spending," said Paige MacPherson, senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and co-author of Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada, 2026 Edition. 

In terms of total spending on public schools, the provinces ranged from a -3.4 per cent decline in Newfoundland and Labrador to a 72.0 per cent increase in Quebec over the 2014/15 to 2023/24 period. Notably, Newfoundland and Labrador was the only province to experience a decline.

The number of immigrants to Canada – particularly school-aged immigrants – spiked starting in 2021 through to 2024, causing a surge in K-12 school enrolment. Around the same time (2021 to 2023), inflation was well above the Bank of Canada's target rate of 2.0 per cent, reaching 6.8 per cent in 2022. These unexpected increases in both enrolment and inflation left the provinces in difficult circumstances regarding public education funding since spending is planned for based on normal, historical rates of immigration and inflation. As a result, three provinces (MB, SK and AB) experienced a reduction in per student spending in public schools (inflation-adjusted) even though total spending increased significantly in all three provinces.

"The federal government's mismanagement of immigration and higher than expected inflation, left provinces holding the bag on provincial government education spending plans," said MacPherson.

"Massively increasing immigration does not occur in a vacuum. This is just one example of how federal government policies trickle down to the provinces and even municipalities, severely impacting programs."

Spending on Public Schools

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter and Facebook

The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Halifax, and Montreal, and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org

SOURCE The Fraser Institute