From 2022/2023 to 2023/2024, enrolment in public schools grew by 125,200 in Canada (+2.3%), the largest annual increase since the compilation of student enrolment statistics began in 1997/1998. In 2023/2024, students in Canadian public schools totalled 5.5 million.
Alberta (+3.6%) and New Brunswick (+3.4%) recorded the strongest growth in public school enrolments in 2023/2024. This increase coincided with substantial growth in their school-aged populations (4 to 17 years); school-aged populations rose by 3.4% in Alberta and by 4.0% in New Brunswick.
These results mirror significant demographic shifts over the same period. In 2023, Canada's population grew by 3.2%, the fastest rate since 1957, reaching 40.8 million by January 1, 2024. Nearly all (97.6%) of this growth came from international migration, including 471,771 permanent residents and more than 800,000 non-permanent residents, such as workers and students as well as their families.
Interprovincial migration also played a role in shaping enrolment patterns in 2023/2024. For the third consecutive year, more than 300,000 Canadians relocated across provincial or territorial borders. Nationally, Alberta experienced the largest gain in interprovincial migration since comparable data became available in 1972, adding 55,107 people to their population in 2023/2024. This influx has contributed to the rapid increase in school-aged children in the province and the corresponding growth in public school enrolment. In contrast, Ontario recorded the largest net loss of over 36,000 people, which offset some of the enrolment growth driven by the record net flow of non-permanent residents during the same period.
