IN-DEPTH: Alberta Homeschool Program Reports Influx of Parents Unhappy With Public Schools

Enrolment at Hope Christian School doubled during COVID

A child writes in their school notebook during a home schooling session in Cremona, Alta., on March 23, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

A small Christian school that offers a home education program for students across Alberta saw enrolment double the first year of COVID and has continued to grow, as more parents leave public schools citing concerns over curriculum content and overemphasis on gender ideology.

“We just exploded. My grade 10 class went from 50 [students] to 106, essentially doubled in September of 2020,” says Margaret Dart, vice-principal and online high school teacher at Hope Christian School in Vulcan, Alta.