SD64 enrolment drops five per cent

An islands-wide drop in school enrolment is shaping up to be the largest decline since student population peaked in the mid-1990s, according to Gulf Islands School District (SD64) records, as newly elected district trustees face a fall snapshot five per cent lower than last year. SD64’s full-time-equivalent (FTE) count for all schools totalled 1,379, according to a report presented to the school district’s board Wednesday, Nov. 4, representing a loss of 68. Previous years’ declines had been three per cent, or 45 fewer FTEs, in the 2025 count and two per cent, or 36 fewer, in 2026. And while FTE figures are inherently lower than strict headcounts, SD64 secretary-treasurer Jesse Guy said the data point toward an acceleration, however slight, in the island’s long-dwindling enrolment. “We’ve had more change this year than while I’ve been in the district,” said Guy.

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