QENTAK RESEARCH · 2026 EDITION
New Brunswick: independent and home education, 2026 Edition
New Brunswick's independent sector is small but growing, and its registered home-education rate (1.5%) is the highest in Atlantic Canada.
Snapshot
New Brunswick: 2024/25 at a glance
2,148 independent students (1.9%); 1,734 registered home-educated (1.5%); no operating funding for independent schools.
| School year | Independent | Independent share | Home-educated | Home-education share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006/07 | 0 | 0.00% | 510 | 0.45% |
| 2007/08 | 816 | 0.73% | 528 | 0.47% |
| 2008/09 | 819 | 0.75% | 495 | 0.45% |
| 2009/10 | 792 | 0.74% | 531 | 0.49% |
| 2010/11 | 753 | 0.71% | 549 | 0.52% |
| 2011/12 | 765 | 0.74% | 660 | 0.63% |
| 2012/13 | 750 | 0.73% | 627 | 0.61% |
| 2013/14 | 762 | 0.75% | 681 | 0.67% |
| 2014/15 | 765 | 0.76% | 693 | 0.69% |
| 2015/16 | 1,110 | 1.11% | 708 | 0.71% |
| 2016/17 | 1,134 | 1.14% | 762 | 0.76% |
| 2017/18 | 1,218 | 1.22% | 801 | 0.80% |
| 2018/19 | 1,257 | 1.26% | 831 | 0.83% |
| 2019/20 | 1,272 | 1.26% | 942 | 0.93% |
| 2020/21 | 1,530 | 1.51% | 2,634 | 2.60% |
| 2021/22 | 1,686 | 1.63% | 2,259 | 2.19% |
| 2022/23 | 1,890 | 1.78% | 1,635 | 1.54% |
| 2023/24 | 1,914 | 1.74% | 1,617 | 1.47% |
| 2024/25 | 2,148 | 1.91% | 1,734 | 1.54% |
- Independent share
- Registered home-education share
- Independent change since 2006/07not reported in 2006/07
- Fraser share, 2023/241.7%
- Outside public, 2024/253.4%
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 37-10-0109-01, 2006/2007 to 2024/2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product. Our recomputation: shares are of public plus independent plus registered home-schooled students.
Cite this chart
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 37-10-0109-01, 2006/2007 to 2024/2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product. Our recomputation: shares are of public plus independent plus registered home-schooled students. Chart: "New Brunswick: 2024/25 at a glance", Qentak Research, The State of Independent & Home Education in Canada, 2026 Edition. https://qentak.com/research/canada/new-brunswick#chart-province-new-brunswick-snapshot
Embed as an image
<figure> <img src="https://qentak.com/research/charts/province-new-brunswick-snapshot.svg" alt="Line chart of New Brunswick's independent share (solid) and registered home-education share (dotted) of K-12 students, 2006/07 to 2024/25." width="800" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"> <figcaption>Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 37-10-0109-01, 2006/2007 to 2024/2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product. Our recomputation: shares are of public plus independent plus registered home-schooled students. Chart by <a href="https://qentak.com/research/canada/new-brunswick#chart-province-new-brunswick-snapshot">Qentak Research</a>.</figcaption> </figure>
Qentak's own text and charts are free to share with attribution. Statistics Canada data is used under the Open Licence; the full chapter on data, sources and terms is on the data page.
At a glance
| Measure | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Independent students | 2,148 (1.9% of K-12) | Statistics Canada, 2024/25 |
| Independent share, Fraser measure | 1.7% in 2023/24 | Fraser Institute, 2026 Edition |
| Independent headcount | 1,272 in 2019/20 to 2,148 in 2024/25 (+69%); not reported in 2006/07 | Statistics Canada |
| Registered home-educated | 1,734 (1.5%) in 2024/25; 942 in 2019/20; 2,634 in 2020/21 | Statistics Canada |
| Public spending per student | $17,346 (2022/23) | Fraser Institute, 2025 Edition |
Independent schools and funding
New Brunswick does not fund independent schools. Its independent share grew from about 1.3% (2019/20) to 1.9% (2024/25) on Statistics Canada's measure. Fraser's older 2019/20 count (970) is lower than Statistics Canada's (1,272), a difference consistent with ministry-based versus survey-based counting.
Home education
- Basis: Education Act section 16(2), which allows a ministerial exemption from attendance. Our copy of the Act is cached to December 2023, so check the current text.
- Application: an annual home schooling application to the school district office. The 2026-27 deadline is September 25.
- Diploma: home-schooled students are not eligible for the New Brunswick high school diploma.
- Reporting and funding: not read; no funding found.
- Numbers: registered home education more than doubled in 2020/21 and has eased to about 1,600 to 1,700.
2026/27 calendar
First day Tuesday, September 8, 2026 and last day June 25, 2027. March break is March 1 to 5, 2027.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Table 37-10-0109-01; Fraser Institute 2026 Edition and 2025 spending edition; Government of New Brunswick school calendar and home schooling pages; Education Act (NB). Not legal advice.