1193228_doodled_desks_2The latest Fraser Institute Report Card is out, ranking schools all across Ontario.

This ranks elementary schools and high schools based on nine academic indicators derived from the results of province-wide tests of reading, writing, and mathematics skills.

Theriault tops Timmins high schools at 518th spot out of 740 in Ontario.  Next is Timmins High (TH&VS) and Roland Michener, tied in 656th place.  O’Gorman sits in 702nd.

For the 3,037 elementary schools in the province, Bertha Shaw in South Porcupine leads the way locally in 1,083rd.  The rest of the schools rank as follows: Don Bosco (1,824th), Sacred Heart (1,894th), Centennial (2,512th), W.E. Miller (2,765th), St. Gerard (2,765th), Pinecrest (2,882nd), St. Paul (2,889th), St. Joseph (2.948th) and Lionel Gauthier (3,012nd).

Across Ontario, 180 elementary schools showed significant improvement in their academic performance over the past five years.

“Parents have repeatedly shown they value the ability to track the performance of their child’s school and compare it to other schools. Our report card allows them to quickly and easily determine if their child’s school is improving or worsening academically,” said Peter Cowley, Fraser Institute director of school performance studies.

The data from the 2015 report card suggests that every school is capable of improvement regardless of the type of school, its location and despite the proportion of students with special needs or students in ESL programs.

For example, the fastest improving school in the province in 2014 – based on analysis of its results during the most recent five years – is Madoc Township School located in the eastern Ontario community of Madoc. Despite one-third of its Grade 6 class having special needs, Madoc Township’s overall rating has steadily improved to 7.7 (out of 10) in 2014 from 1.2 in 2010.

“Educators at the 180 improving schools should be applauded for their success. Conversely, parents at declining schools should be asking the principal why the school’s overall rating is falling,” Cowley said.

“This is an important function of the Fraser Institute’s report cards: The act of publicly rating and ranking schools attracts attention, and this can provide an incentive for all those connected with a school to find ways to improve.”