The Fraser Institute has ranked St. Thomas More Collegiate as the top school in Burnaby, according to the think-tank's annual Report Card.
Every year, the right-leaning Fraser Institute ranks B.C. secondary and elementary schools based on a number of factors, mainly results from the foundation skills assessment, annual provincewide reading, writing and math tests for grades 4 and 7 students.
St. Thomas More, an independent Catholic school, ranked first in Burnaby and 21st in the province, while Burnaby Mountain secondary came in second in the city and 83rd in B.C. Carver Christian High School ranked third in Burnaby and 103rd in the province.
Byrne Creek Secondary, a school with a high number of refugee students, was ranked last in the city and 251st out of 260 schools ranked.
The Fraser Institute's Report Card is meant to measure overall school performance and give the public a chance to compare secondary and elementary schools, based on rankings.
In a Simon Fraser University press release, education professor Daniel Laitsch said the report card is an example of advocacy research designed to promote a particular worldview.
"The formula used to rank schools inherently favours schools with competitive admissions standards while penalizing schools working with students achieving at a variety of levels," Laitsch said. "It is based entirely on a narrow body of mandatory exams given in specific grades and courses, ignoring the broader body of elective coursework and student outcomes."
