Nearly three-quarters of all Surrey students who graduate go on to attend a post-secondary institution within four years, according to the superintendent's recently released report on student achievement.
Of those, 41 per cent choose Kwantlen Polytechnic University, while Simon Fraser University, which also has a campus in Surrey, is the next most popular location, attracting 14 per cent of Surrey's graduating students. University of British Columbia is the destination of choice for 11 per cent.
The data is included in the student achievement report, submitting to the Surrey Board of Education last week. The report focused on post-secondary transition, children in care, and trades and exploration because summer job action had limited the amount of data available this year.
Trades and exploration allows students to earn money while gaining employment skills through the Accelerated Credit Enrolment in Industry Training (ACE IT). In Surrey, the program now includes more than 15 trades, including automotive, baking, hairdressing, plumbing and welding.
The report also indicates the number of children in care being educated in Surrey has dropped from more than 600 in November 2011 to about 200. Standardized tests show an improvement of 12.5 per cent between Grade 4 and Grade 7 in the proportion of these students reading to a level that meets or exceeds expectations, and a 6 per cent increase in writing to the same standard.
However, the district recognizes a need to work on numeracy, with nearly 19 per cent fewer students who are in care meeting expectations in Grade 7 than when they were in Grade 4.