The Halton District School Board (HDSB) has published the results of its most recent student census. The 2022 census was a voluntary survey for all registered 2020-2021 HSDB students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
The results of the 2022 census are from the survey that ended almost a year ago, at an unspecified time in "Spring 2021."
During the 2020-2021 school year, a total of 64,613 students were invited to complete the Student Census.
HDSB says they "confidentially gathered data about students’ identities such as their first language, ethnic and racial background, and religion. Students shared their perceptions of school climate, sense of belonging and experiences with bullying." For students in Grade 7 and above, they were also asked questions about their "gender identity and sexual orientation."
Here are some highlights of the HDSB student census results this year:
Note: the results of this census are only of students in the Halton District School Board, and does not include those of the Halton Catholic District School Board.
OVERALL HIGHLIGHTS
- More than 50,000 students board-wide agreed to take the student census
- Nearly one-quarter of all students learned multiple languages in their home in early childhood
- Over 50% of all grade 9-12 students in the board identified with multiple ethnic or cultural identities
- There are significant differences in the racial and religious makeup between elementary students (K-Grade 8) and secondary students (Grade 9-12), showing the changing demographics of incoming students
- One in six secondary students identify with a sexual orientation that is not heterosexual/straight
- Between 6-8% of all students say they have some kind of a disability
Listed below are some statistical highlights relevant to eight of the nine major categories covered in the census.
PARTICIPATION
- Elementary students in Grade 4 to 8 had the highest participation rate of 93%
- Secondary students in Grade 9 to 12+ had a participation rate of 84%
- The lowest participation rate was among Kindergarten to Grade 3 at 59%
Overall, there was a participation rate of 81%. A total of 51,524 HDSB students completed the 2020-2021 Student Census.
In elementary, 35,495 students (Kindergarten to Grade 8) completed the Student Census representing a 78% participation rate, and 16,029 secondary students (Grade 9 to 12) completed the Student Census representing an 84% participation rate.
LANGUAGES
English is the first language learned by the majority of elementary and secondary students. In the HDSB, 22% and 24% of elementary (K-Grade 8) and secondary (Grade 9-12) students, respectively, learned multiple languages as their first language(s) during early childhood.
The top 10 Languages learned by HDSB students include: English, Arabic, French, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, and Urdu.
ETHNICITY / CULTURAL BACKGROUND
Respondents selected their ethnic/cultural background by choosing among a list of options and/or by entering their ethnicity/cultural background(s) in an open text box.
The most frequent ethnic/cultural groups reported by elementary students (Kindergarten to Grade 8)were: Canadian, English, Pakistani, Chinese, Irish, and Scottish, with 36% (more than one-third) identifying with multiple ethnic/cultural identities.
The most frequent single ethnic/cultural groups reported by secondary students (Grade 9-12) were Canadian, English, Chinese, Irish, Scottish, Pakistani, German, Italian, and French, with 50% identifying with multiple ethnic/cultural identities.
RACE
Parents/guardians of Kindergarten to Grade 3 students and all Grade 4-12 were asked to select among a list of racial identities.
While White was the most common response (at 44% for elementary and 52% for secondary), that means more than half of all students in the HDSB do not identify as white or predominantly white. Second most common at both levels was South Asian, with the top five also including East Asian, Middle Eastern and Multiracial.
RELIGION / SPIRITUAL AFFILIATTION(S)
This was one category with a stark difference between the percentages in elementary and secondary students. While Christian, Muslim and No Affiliation were the three most common responses no matter the age, the order they appear and by what percent varies dramatically between the two.
For Elementary (K-Grade 8):
- Muslim - 27%
- Christian - 24%
- No religious or spiritual affiliation - 22%
For Secondary (Grade 9-12):
- Christian - 25%
- No religious or spiritual affiliation - 22%
- Muslim - 17%
There was also a large difference in atheism; while only 3% of elementary students chose this (in seventh place), it was the fourth most popular option for secondary students, at 11% of all respondents.
GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION
These two categories only appeared in the census for those in Grade 7 and above. Of those respondents, the results both elementary and secondary were nearly the same:
- 48-49% identify as Male
- 47-48% identify as Female
- 5% identify as Gender Diverse
The HDSB added the note: "Percentage will not add to 100% as respondents could choose multiple gender identity(ies)"
For sexual orientation, the majority of Grade 7 to 8 elementary students identified as Heterosexual/Straight (85%) while 15% identified as one or more of the following:
- Lesbian
- Gay
- Bisexual
- Two-Spirit
- Queer
- Questioning
- Asexual
- Pansexual
- Additional sexual orientation(s) not specified
The majority of secondary students (Grade 9-12) identified as Heterosexual/Straight (83%) while 17% identified as one or more of the categories listed above.
DISABILITY
Lastly, students were asked to indicate whether they considered themselves to be "a person with a disability(ies)"
At the elementary level, 6% said yes while 85% said no and 9% said they were unsure. At the secondary level, 8% said yes while 84% said no and 8% said they were unsure.
MORE INFORMATION TO COME
The last one, Indigenous Identity, did not publish any results in this report, with statistics in this category instead set "to be released soon pending consultation with Indigenous leaders."
Some categories also say more time is needed to analyze data, and further statistics will be shared "in the next report." No timeline was given for when the next published report will be.
The student census results are also available in several languages other than English, including French, Arabic, Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Urdu.
More information about the HSDB student census is available online, with full census results available as an online PDF here.