Sept. 14, 2016 (Ottawa, ON) — The Ottawa Community Foundation released its latest Ottawa Insights theme this morning at an event co-hosted by the Ottawa Network for Education.

Providing indicators in the areas of Public School; Post-Secondary; and Success Before and Beyond School Years, the newly-released theme offers fresh insights into how well the city is performing in relation to the education and learning level of its population.

Key findings:

  • Across Ottawa, an average of 12% of kindergarten students have low scores in two or more areas of development, an indicator of learning challenges ahead. But at the neighbourhood level that number is as high as 35%.
  • A weighted average across all four Ottawa school boards shows the proportion of students meeting grade nine provincial standards for academic math is 3% higher than the Ontario average, and 7% higher for applied math.
  • 10% of Ottawa residents have university-level education in science, technology, engineering or math.
  • Over 50% of students pursuing continuing education at Ontario colleges are 35 or older.

“Appropriate education supports the ability of individuals to navigate, to enjoy, and to thrive in the various communities and conditions encountered in the course of a lifetime”, said Marco Pagani, President & CEO of the Ottawa Community Foundation. “A well-educated population is better able to contribute to economic strength and to community and societal well-being more broadly. The data released today shows some of Ottawa’s strengths in relation to education and learning, as well as areas where learning needs and potentials are not being met.”

The Ottawa Insights community knowledge centre is the Foundation’s most recent public initiative designed to empower Ottawa citizens to take informed action to create positive, systemic and sustainable change in our community. It is a dynamic, web-based knowledge centre that brings together and connects key information and intelligence on local status, trends and conditions affecting quality of life in Ottawa.

Since its initial launch in April, Ottawa Insights has presented a suite of over 70 indicators related to the themes of Basic Needs & Standard of Living, Economy & Employment, Health & Wellness, Environment & Sustainability and, now, Education & Learning. The Ottawa Community Foundation will continue to present comprehensive information and data over the coming months in the areas of Arts & Culture and Community & Belonging. Visit www.ottawainsights.ca.

Established in 1987, the Ottawa Community Foundation is a public, non-profit organization created by and for the people of Ottawa. Working directly with its community of donors, partners and stakeholders, the Foundation is committed to acting as a catalyst for positive, systemic and sustainable change in Ottawa and beyond. Priding itself on enabling generous citizens to enhance the quality of life in their community while achieving their own charitable objectives, the Community Foundation currently manages assets worth almost $120-million, and has provided close to $100-million in grants to the community since its inception. For more information about the Ottawa Community Foundation, visit www.cfo-fco.ca.

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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Iona Green
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Ottawa Community Foundation
(B) 613-236-1616 X 232
(C) 613-408-1616
igreen@cfo-fco.ca