A Penticton high school is among 26 across B.C. that improved their academic performance last year, according to new report cards prepared by the Fraser Institute.
The annual reports are compiled using public data like provincial exam marks and graduation rates, and used to rate and rank schools, both public and private.
Princess Margaret Secondary received a rating of 6.8 out of 10 and placed 88th on the 284-school list. It was the only such institution in the region to show improvement during the 2011-12 year, according to the report card.
That improvement was courtesy of a decrease in the difference between the marks students received on their school work and provincial exams.
South Okanagan Secondary in Oliver tied Princess Margaret and eight other B.C. schools for 88th spot in the provincial rankings.
Penticton Secondary came in at 119th, while both Summerland and Osoyoos Secondaries were ranked 148th. None of the schools saw movement in their overall ratings last year.
The top 16 schools in the province, according to the report card, were private institutions.
While teachers have for years dismissed Fraser Institute rankings as biased against public schools, the think-tank insists they’re a useful tool for parents wishing to make informed decisions about their children’s education.
The report card rates 284 public and independent schools based on seven indicators using data from the annual provincewide exams, as well as graduation and grade-to-grade transition rates.