iN NUMBERS: Buckle-up for back to school in B.C.

It’s that time again. They’re going back to school so as you make lunches and get the kids’ backpacks ready, get ready for some fake stomach aches to avoid the joy of learning.

Here are some back to school numbers:

• 700: New seats have been added to classrooms in B.C. this fall.
• 2,300: New seat additions started construction this summer in B.C.
• 4: School districts in the Okanagan.
• 24,000: Students in the Central Okanagan School District, the largest in the area.
• 83,000: Students in Surrey, the biggest school district in the province.
• 178: Students in Stikine, the province’s smallest school district.
• 177: Dollars on back-to-school shopping for the average Canadian grade-school student.
• 212: Dollars on back-to-school for the average Canadian high school student.
• 598: Dollars for the average university student, which is lower than the $821 in 2024.
• 4,131: Kids were homeschooled in B.C. in 2023, almost twice the pre-pandemic amount.
• 60,000: Dollars a year is the lowest starting salary for a teacher in Vernon.