Many students were unable to finish schooling during the Great Depression due to the hidden cost of education. While attending school did not come with an overt cost, the requirements for acceptable dress and supplies became prohibitive for many families in Alberta. Family farming operations could benefit from children staying home from school to help on the farm due to their unpaid labour and as a result, there was an extra incentive for these children to stay home and be done with their studies.

Bibliography:

Robyn Pugh. 2017. “The Deep-Rooted Effects of the Great Depression and Unemployment on Alberta Education: Between 1930-1935” in  Historicity: Essays on the History of Southern Alberta. University of Lethbridge