Report on Fees in High Schools, 2011

pdf 204 kb Published 2011

People for Education, 2011.

This report, based on data from People for Education’s Annual School Surveys, shows that fees for courses, student activities and athletics are on the rise in Ontario secondary schools. The authors note that revenue raised through these fees is neither equitably distributed among schools nor consistently accounted for.

Among the findings:

  • 17% of secondary schools charge fees for second language classes and 14% charge fees for science—both courses in which one or more credits are mandatory for graduation.
  • 6% charge fees for English classes, which are mandatory in every grade
  • some schools raise under $1,000 per year in course fees alone; others raising over $90,000. Only a small portion of this discrepancy among schools can be explained by school size
  • Student Activity Fees range from a low of  $5 to a high of $100 per student
  • Athletic Fees have also increased steadily over the last 10 years. This year, Athletic fees ranged from a
    low of $10 to a high of $1,800. The highest fee this year is more than twenty times higher than the top
    fee in 2000/01.