The Prince Albert Catholic School Division received a bit of a boost ahead of French Education Week.
During the board’s regular meeting on Jan. 26 at St. John Community School, Superintendent Wade Mourot said the division will receive French Education funding from two levels of government. The funding will support both French education and recruitment and retention of teachers.
The division is receiving funding from the Provincial Federal Agreement on second language instruction. Federal-Provincial funding supports five areas of intervention including learner participation, provision of programs, academic achievement, enriched learning environments and support for educational staff.
The Federal Provincial funding for teacher retention and recruitment is part of this agreement. This supports salaries, professional fees, promotional items, communication, training and professional development.
On Nov. 24, 2025, the division was notified that it would be allocated a total of $85,655 of Federal Provincial funding for the 2025-2025 fiscal year.
The grant is divided into two categories with $74,193 designated to support the five areas of intervention and $11, 462 designated to support teacher retention and recruitment.
According to the data, PA Catholic had 883 students enrolled in French Immersion for 2024- 2025. That’s roughly 30 per cent of the total student population. Removing pre-K improved the number to 40 per cent per capita.
The Catholic Division’s per capita enrolment is among the highest in Saskatchewan. The number of students enrolled also passes the provincial minimum of 15 per grade.
The number of students has steadily grown from 2008, when there were 593 students enrolled in the program.
Data from the June, 2025 enrollment report shows there were 303 students enrolled in French Immersion at Ecole St. Anne, 252 at Ecole St. Mary High School and 304 enrolled at Ecole Holy Cross at the conclusion of the prior school year.
The board also received news that the Ministry of Education has approved the designation of French Immersion programs for St. Anne, Holy Cross and Ecole St. Mary High School for French Immersion for the 2025-2026 school year during their meeting in Aug., 2025. As well, Mourot announced that Canadian Parents for French have designated Feb. 2 to Feb. 7 as French Education Week, which will be announced by the Ministry of Education.
“One of the highlights, of course, in the work that we do is the second French Second language education week, and so our schools are preparing for activities to highlight those kinds of activities,” Prince Albert Catholic School Division Education Director Lorel Trumier said.
This year’s theme is Learn in French, Grow in French Graduate in French. The schools designated as French Immersion Schools have plans in the works to celebrate the week.
