Almost half of francophone students in P.E.I. don't attend French schools: StatsCan

Almost half of francophone students in Prince Edward Island receive their education in English-language schools, according to new data from Statistics Canada.

The agency's research shows that the biggest factors influencing a child's language of education are the proximity of schools and the language spoken by their parents. 

Only about 20 per cent of francophone students in P.E.I. live closer to a French-language school than an English one, and 46 per cent of children who are eligible have never been enrolled in French education. 

"When the school closest to home is an English-language school, children who were eligible for French instruction were less likely to attend a French-language school, even if [one] was located a few kilometres away," said Etienne Lemyre, an analyst with Statistics Canada who worked on the study. 

"The main factor that's associated with enrolment in French schools is the language spoken at home by the parents. Proximity does play a role, but parental characteristics still matter a lot."

The numbers come from the 2021 census, which for the first time asked questions about the language of instruction for students at the primary and secondary schools in the Maritime provinces. 

Statistics Canada's goal was to collect data on children who are eligible to receive education in their primary language, a right that's guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

The director of P.E.I.'s Federation des parents, which supports francophone parents and their children enrolled in the French-language school system, wonders if enough is being done to reach that 46 per cent of francophone parents whose children have never been enrolled in a French-language school.

"It's a difficult statistic to swallow from our point of view," said Anastasia DesRoches. "We wonder [about] how to access parents to make sure that they have all the information to make informed decisions around their choices for the language of education. Do these parents know that they are eligible and how can we better do our job to support them?"

Compounding the issue is P.E.I.'s growing francophone population.

The Island's French school board has six schools across the province, many of which are seeing more students coming through their doors.

StatsCan said that as it expands its data in future years, provincial administrators can use it to make more informed decisions about the location of French-language schools. 

But DesRoches said more foresight is needed on the part planners and policy makers to ensure francophone families have more options for French-language education. 

"By the time we have construction completed at a French school, we've already exceeded the capacity for what was built and decided on several years before," she said. "The more obstacles we put in the way, such as distance … or difficulty in access to French early childhood education, these are all factors that can impact parents' decisions."