I.E. Weldon ending IB program amid low retention and rising costs

This September will mark the last time students at I.E Weldon will be able to enter the Grade 10 Power Pack pre-IB program, with the program being fully discontinued in June 2029.

A recent review of the International Baccalaureate program highlighted low retention in the program, an impact on human resources, and increased costs for transportation.

The IB is a standardized program run by a non-profit association in Switzerland. Weldon is one of only 383 schools in Canada that offers the diploma – but not for long.

Currently, Grade 10 students at Weldon can choose to take “power pack,” which prepares students to participate in the IB program for Grades 11 and 12. The IB certificate is recognized by universities around the world and can even replace some university credits.

Carolynne Bull, manager of communication services for Trillium Lakelands District School Board said there has been a decline over the years in the number of students graduating with the full IB diploma. “For instance, Grade 12 students graduating this June with the full IB diploma represent 16 per cent of the students who started Power Pack in their Grade 9 year.”

In order to maintain their IB certification, the school operating budget must fund the cost of teacher training and resources to support IB curriculum delivery. “There is also the cost of certification and re-certification every three to five years for teachers in each subject area as they must be qualified for this program,” said Bull.

There are also additional costs for parents, including an IB registration fee when a student enters Grade 11; IB exam fees paid for each subject in Grade 12; additional assessment fees sometimes for courses with special components like visual arts or theatre.

The discontinuation is also in part due to the school moving towards a more equitable resource distribution for the entire student body. “By shifting away from a program that has various expenses and low participation in the full IB diploma program, the school can distribute those resources for the needs of all learners in the building,” Bull said.

One former student in the program, who would only speak to Kawartha Lakes Weekly if given anonymity, said they’re not sad to hear the program is being discontinued. “The biggest thing I hate about the program is that it separates the students into different academic groups, which caused resentment between the kids in various groups.”

They also felt as though the program didn’t actually set them up for post-secondary. “I was never taught to actually think the way I need to in university.”

Transportation was another reason the board ultimately decided to end the program. The school board does not receive any funding from the Ministry of Education to transport IB students who reside outside the school’s catchment area, Bull explained.

Local realtor Evan Connolly said that programs like IB can draw families to the area. “School zoning is very important to parents and families when deciding where to live. Whether it’s school programs, class size, resources, or teacher qualifications, parents want to send their kids to the best option available.”

While he believes the school will still be sought-after, he said if LCVI or St. Thomas were to introduce similar programs to IB, or strengthen their course offerings, it could influence where families choose to move.

“If that were to happen, the shift could potentially impact surrounding neighbourhoods in a way similar to how Parkview’s re-zoning changed buying and selling trends in the northwest subdivisions,” said Connolly. 

Erik Hancock, who graduated from the program in 2024, travelled every day from his home in Bowmanville to Weldon.

Hancock is in his second year at the University of Ottawa working towards his mechanical engineering degree. While he found being in IB was enjoyable, he said it didn’t necessarily prepare him fully for post-secondary. “Some aspects of the IB program I found to be very helpful; for example, my first-year chemistry course was all content we had covered in higher level IB chemistry,” Hancock said.

However, he found he was not adequately prepared for the increased difficulty and rigour that came with university. “The IB program, albeit difficult, can be completed relatively easily without the development of constructive study habits.”

Hancock said throughout high school he would only spend a couple of hours studying for exams and wrote many of his essays the night before they were due and still graduated with high grades. “Breaking the habit of high-intensity, time crunched studying was a very big part of my post-secondary experience.”

He also found that with the course structure, he only had the ability to take a couple of electives. “Although this wasn’t super detrimental to me, it did somewhat restrict my educational autonomy.”

Similarly, the anonymous student also felt that with such a heavy course load, there wasn’t an opportunity to explore other avenues. “I also don’t like how much of the course schedule was taken up by IB classes leaving no time for me to try skilled trades classes like wood or machine shop, making me less prepared if I decide to go into one of those fields,” the student said.

Despite some of these frustrations, Hancock overall found his time in IB to be beneficial and was disheartened to hear it was ending. He formed close friendships with his peers, as they all took many of the same courses. Some of the things he learned he still finds useful, like being able to properly convey an argument; and being able to correctly check sources of information.

“Ultimately, I do believe the IB program offered a more enriched secondary level of education which should be accessible to capable students,” said Hancock.