Student Census 2020

Limestone Learning Foundation
Click here to learn more about the upcoming Student Census.



The Limestone District School Board is committed to equity, inclusion and ensuring everyone feels a strong sense of belonging. To help understand student identity, lived experience and ability, the board conducted its first-ever student census in Fall 2020.

The voluntary and confidential See Yourself in Limestone Student Census 2020 asked a series of questions around identity and demographics. The survey was guided by the input of students, families and community partners through conversations with stakeholders, focus groups, and survey development which began in 2018.

Each question was designed to help the board learn more about students – their backgrounds, experiences and needs – to identify potential barriers or gaps, and to determine how to eliminate discriminatory biases in our classes and schools as outlined in the Ontario Education Equity Action Plan. The overall goal of the student census is to improve achievement and well-being by identifying opportunities to help all students succeed.

The census was completed by students in Grades 4 to 12 during supervised class time between November and  December 2020. Families of Kindergarten to Grade 3 students were invited to participate at home. More than 10,000 total surveys were completed by students and families – an overall response rate of 55 per cent. Among student-only surveys, Limestone’s response rate was 76 per cent.

Staff will take the next several months to understand the data, and engage in conversations with stakeholders. Staff will compile a series of themed reports to help share the data with school communities.


Student Census Preliminary Report

The See Yourself in Limestone Student Census: Preliminary Report (September 2021) provides a summary of answers to all census questions without any interpretation. 

Student Sense of Belonging Report

Report One: Race and Racial Background, Religion, First Language, Country of Birth, and Newcomer and Refugee StatusThis is the first in a series of reports that focuses on belonging at school for different demographic groups: race and racial background; religion; country of birth; first language; and newcomer or refugee status, and how these identities relate to student experiences.

Student Census Achievement Report

Report Two: Student Census Achievement Report. This is the second report to analyze data from the Student Census from 2020. The focus of this report is traditional measures of student achievement and includes some information on student sense of belonging for groups who were not the subject of the first report. The data in this report offers Limestone the opportunity to reflect on system practices.

Student Census Technical Advisory Group (TAG)

The purpose of the TAG is to give advice, opinions and make recommendations in the design of methods for secondary data analysis (e.g., determining disparities and disproportionalities among student outcomes based on identity) and representation of results (e.g., specifically how the information is reported and shared).  Most importantly, the purpose of the TAG is to ensure that multiple perspectives are applied to the analysis of Student Census data to minimize the risk of bias. 

Resources

Additional resources, helpful definitions and clarifications around identity, race and ethnicity may help you understand what the census is asking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we need this survey? Who will complete the survey?, and other frequently asked questions are answered on the Student Census: Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

The Limestone District School Board is situated on traditional territories of the Anishinaabe & Haudenosaunee.