CCPA: Ontario has Underfunded Schools by $6.3 Billion Since 2018

The 2025 Ontario budget has lots of big numbers, but fails to address funding shortfalls in core program areas. CCPA’s same-day budget analysis examined the broad trend, and in an article for The Toronto Star, we discussed postsecondary funding. 

Now, let’s look at school funding. 

In the budget document, the Education sector line item includes child care. In 2024-25, child care accounted for 14 per cent of the funding in that envelope, compared to seven per cent in 2019-20. This increase is almost entirely due to federal transfers for the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. This new child care spending has considerably increased the education envelope—which is good news, but it has also made it harder to keep track of school funding. 

School board operating funding accounts for about 75 per cent of education sector funding. The provincial government provides the breakdown for this funding separately, in the Core Education Funding documents (previously known as Grants for Student Needs), which it released today.

First, the big picture.