This is an excerpt from our annual report on Ontario’s publicly funded schools, based on surveys from over 1000 school principals across Ontario.

Studies have found that students often have better health outcomes when they are taught by a health and physical education specialist compared to a classroom teacher.

In 2017:

• 42% of elementary schools have a specialist health and physical education teacher, compared to 44% in 2008. The majority are part-time.
• 73% of elementary schools in the GTA have health and physical education teachers,compared to only 30% in northern and 15% in eastern Ontario.