Richmond school district enrolment falls by nearly 250 students this fall

Richmond School District reported an enrolment drop of nearly 250 students this year, attributing it to geopolitical factors, a declining population and possibly weaker demand for international study in Canada. As of Sept. 30, the district had 22,154 students from kindergarten to Grade 12, or 241 fewer full-time-equivalent (FTE) students than a year earlier, a decrease of 1.1 per cent. The figure was slightly below the enrolment projected in the spring.

The district reports both headcount and FTE. Headcount counts individual students, while FTE measures course load, with one FTE representing a full-time student. Cindy Wang, secretary-treasurer of the Richmond Board of Education, said at an Oct. 14 public board meeting that the figures are nearly identical from kindergarten through Grade 9 because few students in those grades attend part-time. The gap generally widens from Grade 10 onward, when students may take more than a full course load and exceed 1.0 FTE.

In the 2026/2027 snapshot, enrolment fell by 285 students at the elementary level, 28 in the alternate program and 134 in virtual school. High schools gained 206 students, offsetting some of those declines. The number of students with disabilities and diverse abilities who receive provincial funding rose by 97 overall. The number of full-time English language learners fell by 430 from last year, 179 below the spring projection. There were also 19 fewer full-time Indigenous learners who receive provincial funding and seven fewer adult students.

Asked by Trustee David Yang what the decrease in English language learners could mean for staffing, Wang said teacher numbers are tied to enrolment and class-size limits in the teachers’ collective agreement. She did not say whether any positions would change. Separately, she said support staff for students with disabilities and diverse abilities are increasing as that student group grows. Wang said support staff work in classrooms and schools, and their numbers are also rising alongside the number of those students.

Long-term international fee-paying enrolment in the district is about 475 full-time students, down 97 from last year. Wang said the decline is mainly driven by geopolitical factors beyond the district’s control, and added that other school districts in the Lower Mainland are seeing a similar trend. District staff noted that the report is only a point-in-time snapshot of programme intake; international students continue to register throughout the academic year.

The B.C. Stats Quarterly Population Highlights report said the province’s population fell by 53,270, or 0.9 per cent, in the 12 months before April 1. It said changes to federal immigration policy partly account for the overall population decline, contributing to lower international migration and fewer non-permanent residents, including people with study and work permits.

Wang said the enrolment figures have been submitted to the Ministry of Education and Child Care, which is expected to announce funding around mid-December based on those numbers. The district will then review total revenue and expenditures to determine the actual effect on its budget, she said.