A new report, released Tuesday by Canadian Parents for French BC and Yukon branch, has found French immersion enrolment has been increasing for 21 consecutive years and now more students than ever from across the province are participating in the program.

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As of the 2018-19 school year, the Greater Victoria School District (SD61) had a record number of students enrolled in French immersion with 3,892 students or more than 19 per cent of the entire student body.

Province-wide, a total of 53,995 students or almost 9.5 per cent of the entire provincial student body was enrolled in French immersion.

“This year we celebrated 50 years of French immersion in British Columbia,” said Greer Cummings, president of Canadian Parents for French BC and Yukon, in a statement. “From modest and determined beginnings, this exceptional education program has grown to expand into almost every corner of our province.”

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The Sooke School District (SD62) is also seeing record enrolment with 1,444 students or more than 12.5 per cent of the student body taking French immersion during the 2018-19 school year.

The Saanich School District (SD63) also hit yet another record with 916 students or more than 10.6 per cent of its student body enrolled in the program during the last school year.

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