According to a study by Quebec's language regulator, the Office of French (OQLF), the number of students attending French-language schools in Quebec as native English or a foreign language (i.e., non-native English speakers) has increased compared to 20 years ago.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Overall, the proportion of students in French-speaking schools has increased from 89 per cent to 91 per cent in the last 10 years.
According to a study by the OQLF of the French office, there are 1,111,200 preschool, primary and secondary school students in Quebec. Of these, 76% speak French and 8% speak English.
Montreal Island has 249,360 students, of which 41% are French, 19% are English, and 40% are native speakers of foreign languages.
OQLF data shows that the number of students in Quebec who speak a foreign language has risen from 9% to 16% over the past 20 years. The reason for this is that the English-speaking population remains at around 8 per cent, while the French-speaking population has dropped from 83 per cent to 76 per cent.
However, interlinguists are likely to be more proficient in French than traditionally, with more than 9 out of 10 attending French-speaking schools, an increase of more than 10%.
The OQLF study found that the proportion of the non-linguistic population enrolled in French-speaking schools rose from 79% in 2000 to 92% in 2021.
The proportion of English-speaking students attending French-language schools has almost doubled compared to 20 years ago.
In 2000, about 18% of native English speakers were enrolled in French schools, and in 2021 it was close to 32%.
In fact, less than 10% of students in Quebec are eligible for English instruction, including 19% of Montreal's student population.
Between 2000 and 2021, the proportion of students in French-language schools increased from 74% to 82% in Montreal.
Overall, among native English speakers in Quebec, the number of people eligible for English schools fell from 85 percent to 72 percent. The proportion of the foreign-speaking population fell from 21 per cent to 8 per cent. The share of the French-speaking population rose from 2.6 per cent to 3 per cent.
In addition, the population of students who have increased dramatically in the number of students eligible for admission to English-language schools is temporary residents.
Between 2011 and 2021, about 22% of temporary residents were approved to attend English schools, up sharply from 7.6% 10 years ago.
The OQLF study also found a slight increase in the number of French-speaking students enrolled in English-speaking schools, from 18,221 (2%) in 2000 to 20,560 (2.4%).
Notably, Quebec's population has increased by more than 1.2 million over the past 20 years.
The Statistical Institute of Quebec reported a population of 7,340,269 in 2000 and 8,550,561 in 2021.
In addition, an increasing number of Aboriginal students in Quebec are being taught in their first language.
The study, which surveyed 7,170 Indigenous students, found that 65 percent were being taught in their native language, up from 59 percent in 2013.
Quebec is home to 11 First Nations and 41 communities, representing 1% of the province's population.