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Saskatchewan education in 2026: How students are performing, where funding stands, and what parents should watch

March 28, 2026March 31, 2026By Regina
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Saskatchewan education in 2026: How students are performing, where funding stands, and what parents should watch

Overview Saskatchewan’s K–12 system is navigating a period of enrollment growth, funding pressures, and curriculum updates, alongside ongoing labour-relations tensions that have periodically affected service levels. Recent assessments and publicly reported indicators show mixed academic performance compared with other provinces, with persistent concerns around literacy, numeracy, class size and composition supports. Budget documents and school division disclosures point to rising operating costs driven by inflation, transportation, specialized supports, and capital needs.

Student performance: How Saskatchewan compares

  • International benchmarks: Canada’s latest results in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2022, reported in 2023) showed national declines in mathematics and reading from prior cycles. Saskatchewan-specific PISA breakouts are not published as standalone provincial tables; however, provincial comparative performance is typically inferred from pan-Canadian and jurisdictional samples and corroborated with national/provincial assessments. Saskatchewan has generally trailed high-performing provinces (e.g., BC, Ontario, Quebec) in mathematics and reading over the past decade while trending near the national middle in science. Parents should use division- and school-level assessments for the most precise local signal, as pan-Canadian instruments report at broader levels.
  • Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP): The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) administers PCAP to gauge Grade 8/Secondary II achievement in reading, math, and science. In the most recent publicly released cycle (PCAP 2019; PCAP 2021/2022 cycles were affected and later reported), Saskatchewan results were below the Canadian mean in reading and mathematics, closer to average in science. Updated PCAP reporting released after pandemic years indicates continued cross-country variability with lingering COVID-19 impacts; Saskatchewan has reported targeted literacy/numeracy interventions in response.
  • Provincial indicators:
    • Graduation: Saskatchewan’s on-time (three-year) and extended (five-year) graduation rates remain below the Canadian leaders and show a persistent attainment gap for First Nations and Métis students compared with non-Indigenous peers. Government and school divisions report initiatives in credit recovery, attendance, and culturally responsive supports to close gaps.
    • Foundational skills: Division-reported literacy and numeracy screeners since 2022–2024 have identified elevated needs in early reading and core math, mirroring national post-pandemic trends. Schools have expanded tiered interventions, with availability varying by division resources.
  • Attendance and learning loss: School divisions have documented attendance volatility since 2020, with higher chronic absenteeism associated with lower literacy/numeracy attainment. Targeted attendance campaigns and family outreach are continuing in 2025–26.

Funding and the 2025–26 to 2026–27 outlook

  • Provincial K–12 envelope: The Government of Saskatchewan has announced multi-year operating increases for school divisions since 2024–25, including base funding boosts and targeted allocations for enrolment growth and classroom supports. Public reporting and media coverage place total education sector spending (Ministry of Education plus related items) in the mid–$4 billion range, with operating grants to school divisions in the mid–$2 billion range. Year-over-year percentage increases have generally been single digits, with divisions and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) contending that inflation and enrolment growth have outpaced base funding.
  • Enrolment pressures: Several divisions have reported net enrolment increases since 2022–23, driven by population growth (including immigration) and cohort progression. Rising headcounts increase costs in transportation, English/French as an Additional Language supports, learner support services, and classroom space.
  • Class size and composition: Targeted provincial funding has been announced across the past two budgets for classroom complexity (educational assistants, specialized supports). The STF and some boards argue these earmarked funds have not fully offset increased complexity (more students requiring intensive supports, diverse language needs, and behavioural supports) or general cost inflation.
  • Capital and maintenance: School divisions continue to flag deferred maintenance and new school capital pressures in growth areas (notably in Saskatoon and Regina metropolitan regions). Capital budgets are allocated on a multi-year basis, with timelines affecting when capacity relief reaches classrooms.
  • Division budgets: School division 2024–25 and 2025–26 budgets highlight cost drivers such as fuel and bus contracts, insurance, utilities, and staffing settlements. Several divisions balanced budgets using reserves in recent years; sustainability remains a watch item as reserves narrow.

Labour relations and service impacts

  • Collective bargaining: The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the province have had an extended bargaining dispute since 2023–24 over class size/composition commitments and compensation. Through 2024 and into 2025, rotating job actions (withdrawal of noon-hour supervision, extracurricular pauses, and other measures) intermittently affected families. Bargaining has continued into 2025–26, with job action risks contingent on negotiation progress. Parents should monitor division alerts for supervision coverage, extracurricular status, and potential instructional disruptions.

Curriculum and assessment changes

  • Literacy and numeracy focus: The Ministry has advanced curriculum renewal and early literacy/numeracy initiatives since 2022, with divisions implementing screeners and interventions. Reported priorities include foundational reading instruction alignment (early grades), explicit math skill development, and expanded assessments to catch learning gaps sooner.
  • Indigenous education: Ongoing integration of First Nations and Métis content and perspectives continues across subjects, aligned with Truth and Reconciliation commitments and provincial policy.
  • Assessment reporting: Families may encounter changes in report card descriptors, intervention tiers, or division-wide screener schedules intended to standardize early identification and support.

Key numbers and signals parents can track

  • School-level achievement: Ask your school for recent literacy and numeracy screener data (e.g., early reading benchmarks, basic facts proficiency rates), and how many students receive Tier 2/3 interventions. Compare year-over-year trends.
  • Class size and supports: Request your school’s class-size averages by grade and the ratio of educational assistants or specialized staff per class. Ask whether targeted classroom-complexity funds translated into additional staffing this year.
  • Attendance: Track your child’s days missed; chronic absenteeism is often defined as missing 10% or more of instructional days. Schools can provide attendance support plans.
  • Graduation pathway: For Grades 9–12, confirm credit accumulation at each reporting period; ask about recovery options (flex scheduling, alternative programming) if a course is at risk.
  • Extracurriculars and supervision: During bargaining periods, verify which noon-hour and extracurricular activities are running; divisions post updates on potential disruptions.
  • Language and newcomer supports: If applicable, inquire about English/French as an Additional Language services, group sizes, and wait times for assessments.

What parents should watch next

  • The 2026–27 provincial budget and division budget cycles (spring) for:
    • Per-student operating funding changes and any new targeted classroom complexity allocations.
    • Capital announcements for high-growth neighbourhoods and major modernizations.
    • Transportation funding adjustments amid fuel and contract cost changes.
  • Any updates to the provincial bargaining table with STF that could affect service levels.
  • New releases from CMEC (PISA/PCAP) and the Ministry or divisions on literacy/numeracy results.
  • Division reserve positions and whether budgets rely on one-time funds to balance.

How to engage

  • Attend school community council (SCC) meetings to review budgets, class organization, and school learning improvement plans.
  • Review your division’s financials and strategic priorities, usually posted before board approval each spring.
  • Subscribe to your division’s alerts and the STF/Ministry updates for bargaining and service changes.

Sources Note: These links provide the most current publicly reported information and coverage relevant to the topics above. Where provincial microdata are not publicly broken out (e.g., PISA provincial tables), parents should rely on division-level reporting for precision.

Editor’s note on data: Saskatchewan-wide, up-to-the-minute standardized results by subject and grade are released on staggered schedules; therefore, some performance comparisons cite the most recent cycle available (e.g., PISA 2022; PCAP reporting). Division- and school-level data, graduation rates, and budget details are typically the most actionable for families and are updated during spring budget cycles.

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