Libraries

• Only 60% of elementary schools have a teacher-librarian, most of them part-time, compared to 80% in 1997/98
• Students in schools with teacher-librarians are more likely to report they like to read.
• EQAO surveys show the percentage of students in Grade 6 who say they "like to read" has declined 15% since 2002.

Class sizes and split classes

• Three-quarters of elementary schools report they have split grade classes. In those schools, on average, 36% of the classes are split.
• Half of Grade 4 to 8 classes have 26 or more students, a slight increase since last year.

Fees and fundraising

• Fundraising in elementary and secondary schools ranges from $0 to $500,000 per school.
• The percentage of elementary schools raising over $20,000 per year has more than doubled since 2001.
• School boards report a total of $596,000,000 in school-generated funds - this includes the to-tal amount parents, students and teachers fundraise and the amount schools raise through fees, donations from local businesses and things like vending machines and cafeterias.
• Many schools rely on parents to supply funding for arts programs; half of secondary schools and elementary schools report fund-raising for arts enrichment in their schools.
• A majority of secondary schools charge fees for Art classes, and nearly one-third charge fees for music.

Specialist teachers

• Only 7% of schools with Grades 7 & 8 have Design and Technology teachers compared to 22 % in 1998/99; and 14% have guidance teachers, compared to 25% in 1998/99.
• 44% of elementary schools have a physical education teacher, a small but steady increase over the past three years.
• 48% of elementary schools have music teachers, continuing an upward trend over the last four years, but still below 1997/98 levels of 58% of schools.

Special education

• One-third of elementary schools report they have identified students who are not receiving rec-ommended support.
• On average, there is one special education teacher for every 29.8 elementary special educa-tion students, and every 52.5 secondary students.

SUCCESS IN CANADIAN SCHOOLS

• Canada's rank in reading among OECD countries: 4
• Percentage of Ontario Grade 3 and 6 students passing standardized provincial reading, writing and math tests: 90
• Canada's rank in the world for percentage of post-secondary graduates: 1
• Ontario's rank in Canada for percentage of university graduates: 1
• Percentage of Canadians who identify themselves as non-readers: 13
• Percentage of Americans who identify themselves as non-readers: 43