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Education in Canada

Article by Frank Peters , R.S. Patterson , N. Kach

Published Online February 7, 2006

Last Edited March 4, 2015

 Education is a basic activity of human association in any social group or community, regardless of size. It is a part of the regular interaction within a family, business or nation. The process whereby people gain knowledge, acquire understanding, master skills or internalize values is referred to as education. This same term is used to describe the outcomes of educational experiences. In other words, we may speak of education to refer to what school, television or recreational activity offer people or we may use the same term to indicate what the participants or viewers have received from their involvement in these educational experiences.

Significance of Instruction and Learning

In human societies the maintenance and enhancement of the knowledge, skills and values of the group depend on instruction and learning. Failure to share and to pass on its social heritage leads to the eventual extinction of the group. For example, at the level of the FAMILY , our most basic social group, unless the members of the unit find ways to identify, preserve, communicate and share the beliefs, traditions, values and essential characteristics of the group, in time, the cohesiveness of the family will be lost, individual members will not identify with the unit or the name and new relationships with different norms and interests will replace it.

People in all of the varying roles and responsibilities of society share and acquire information, skills, attitudes and values. Whether raising a family, earning a living, administering a large corporation or conversing with friends, education occurs and is received. In its broadest sense education includes the total range and variety of processes evident in a social group or community by which the social heredity of the unit is maintained.

The less knowledgeable and less experienced members of the group depend on educational experiences which will help them build on the established learning and practice of their predecessors. If this function were not performed, progress would be limited and slow. In more primitive or simple societies, the function of education is, relatively speaking, not as obvious: the more underdeveloped the social life of a group, the less complex its knowledge and traditions and the less demanding and essential is the task of sharing and acquiring its social heritage. In groups of limited sophistication, the less knowledgeable and less experienced members learn acceptable behaviour by imitating their elders, by obeying injunctions, by following suggestions and responding to prohibitions.

Distinctions Between Formal and Informal Education

As the complexity of the society increases and as the store of knowledge, traditions and values expands, the difference between those who possess the heritage and those who do not is more pronounced. Whereas in simple society no particular agency is charged with the responsibility of educating, in the more advanced social groups an institutionalized system emerges with specific agencies being charged with this responsibility. The emergence of schools, colleges and universities and other related institutions does not obviate the educational function of other social agencies. Instead it leads to the distinction between formal and informal education.

 Formal education is the effort to do systematically and explicitly by means of specialist roles and functions what formerly transpired in the casual intercourse of family and community living. The differentiated system of education known as schooling has been charged with ever-expanding duties and responsibilities. Initially the invention of letters that required specialist training for mastery and use gave rise to the role of teacher and the emergence of schools. Over time, this learning was not restricted to a privileged elite, but came to be regarded as the legitimate possession of all who had the ability to master it. Schooling has come to be regarded as a right of citizenship. An equally compelling reason for its growth and popularity is the belief that industrial and economic expansion depend on education. Leading industrial nations look to their schools to provide the training essential to continued economic and political prominence.

The Church and Socializing Agencies

The church, another social institution that once enjoyed a prominent role in the socializing of societal members, is also experiencing a diminished effect in the lives of Canadians. Until the mid-20th century, the 3 major churches in Canada - the Roman Catholic Church, the United Church of Canada and the Anglican Church - exerted significant influences on Canadian ethics and morals and provided obvious support to the maintenance of prevailing economic, social and political views. Membership and affiliation for many Canadians now is nominal in nature. Harmony of belief is less characteristic among Canadians, as the authority of churches and clerics has been challenged, as religious views are less popular in a more materialistic society and as new religions within the Christian tradition and from outside gain in prominence.

Tensions and conflicts accompanying marked demographic changes in society also contribute to the increasing pluralism of Canadian life and the related difficulty of identifying and providing common socializing experiences. When the majority of Canadians were rural dwellers, their communities were perceived to be relatively homogeneous, closely knit and supportive of similar ideals and values. There was greater compatibility of the educational efforts and goals of the various socializing agencies.

In recent decades, however, this feature of Canadian life diminished significantly. By 1996, only 21% of Canada's population was rural with increasing urbanization. Impersonal relations and anonymity challenged feelings of closeness and mutual support. New social agencies and roles emerged and traditional institutions such as schools and churches took on modified responsibilities in an attempt to cope with social change and an obviously growing divergence of perspective.

New Cultural Realities

Another significant contributor to the mounting diversity in beliefs, practices and values in Canada was the introduction of large numbers of immigrants into Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Particularly since 1901 the proportion of the population composed of ethno-religious groups other than the founding French and English elements has increased from approximately 12% to nearly 27%. The declaration in October 1971 of an official Canadian policy of "multiculturalism within a bilingual framework" gave recognition to a cultural reality. Pluralism was an acknowledged condition and latitude was extended to those who wished to preserve their unique ethnic and linguistic roots. One effect of growing pluralism in Canada has been to expect more of schools in building a common culture and to compensate for diminishing contributions of families, churches and communities.

The report of the Massey Commission also expressed concern over the effects of living in such close proximity to the US. The commission members recognized the importance of the mass media as a vital element of education, particularly as American popular culture became more pervasive within Canada ( see CULTURAL POLICY ). While the influence of the traditional socializing agencies has been waning in Canada, the power of the mass media has been increasing significantly.

Influence of Media

From their earliest years children are subject to the influence of the media. Television, especially, has become the purveyor of values, beliefs and knowledge. Time formerly spent in discussing, playing or reading is now more commonly associated with television viewing, as children are often left to watch unattended. It was estimated that in 1997 the average Canadian watches 22.7 hours of television per week and cable and satellite broadcast facilities afford viewers wide choice in program selection with extensive exposure to American programs. Recognizing the educative influence of TV, the Canadian Radio-Television Commission stated in 1986 that it was working to "safeguard, enrich and strengthen the cultural, political, social and economic fabric of Canada."

One effect of all forms of mass media is that peoples' perspectives are broadened. The result in countries where information access is valued and sustained is that the educational power of the media is pronounced, and leads to greater openness, pluralism and relativism. The media, in testing public attitudes, also serve to influence and to shape them. Among the media published sources, including books and newspapers, are important instruments of education ( see LITERACY ).

Film also contributes to the education of Canadians. The film viewing of Canadians is dominated by access to films produced in the US. Canadians by an Act of Parliament established the NATIONAL FILM BOARD in 1939, charging it with the mandate "to initiate and promote the production of films in the national interest." Produced in Canada's 2 official languages, the films of the NFB depict events that shaped history and show the diversity of Canadian concerns and achievement. The efforts of the NFB are recognition of the value of this medium as an educational agent in providing a common Canadian viewpoint. However, the rapid expansion and popularity of television is overshadowing that of film in Canada, as videotape production now exceeds that of film production.

As prominent and important as are the socializing agencies and informal educational means of the mass media in Canada, the formal educational system is recognized as being central to the experience of the large majority of Canadians. Within Canada, residents of all ages and circumstances have come to seek and gain access to schools, universities and colleges. Relatively early in Canada's history, attention was directed to making some provision for schooling.

Foundations of Present-Day Education

Realized human potential.

Three means or instruments for achieving this end were identified: common life experiences; various sources of popular culture and information such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines and books; and formal education in schools, colleges and universities. Development in each of these areas is essential to an understanding of education in Canada.

Common life experiences, according to the commission, were seen to be available through socializing agencies such as the family, the church, the government and the community. Traditionally, the family has been the most powerful of all educational institutions. Changing social conditions have had a noticeable effect on the influence of this agency within Canadian society. As an increasing number of married women are being employed outside the home, as the number of marriage dissolutions and single parents increases, and as nontraditional forms of marriage arrangements expand, the impact of the traditional family is lessened and other agencies such as the school are being expected to fill the educational void. Topics such as sex education, consumer spending and life skills are being turned over to the school along with extensive counselling responsibilities. As cohesion and solidarity of the contemporary Canadian family decline, so too does the effectiveness and influence of this educational agency.

The First Teachers in Canada

 Provision of schooling has not been easy or inexpensive for Canadians, in part because of the vastness of the country and the sparseness of the population. However, efforts have been made through the proliferation of one-room country schools which dotted the countryside even up to the outbreak of WWII and through novel arrangements such as railway and correspondence schools to extend schooling to as many children as possible. The importance assigned to education by Canadians over the years is evident in the financial commitment made for its provision. Canada tends to spend a higher proportion of its gross domestic product on education than other Western developed countries. In 1992 education expenditures represented 8.1% of Canada's gross domestic product.

 Formal education within Canada has been subject to and influenced by American developments. As progressive education and the ideas of American educators such as John Dewey, W.H. Kilpatrick and George Counts found acceptance in the US between WWI and WWII, these same practices and ideas attracted attention in Canada. School curricula and methods were altered in all provinces to give place to learning by doing, integration of subject areas, individualized learning and instruction of the whole child. While the popularity of the movement subsided in the post-WWII era, the impact of the reform carried on. Schools have come to provide for a wider range of students, to offer a highly diversified curriculum, to be less authoritarian and to be willing to assume responsibility for an ever-increasing number of duties and responsibilities, many of which have resulted from the declining effectiveness of other social agencies such as the family.

The formal education structure is also adapting to the rapidly changing technological environment. Curriculum changes are being made to ensure that graduates are equipped to function effectively in the technologically rich work situations which they will face. Computer technology is being used both as a means of delivering traditional courses in a more sophisticated and efficient manner, and as subject material in its own right ( see COMPUTER-ASSISTED LEARNING ). At the same time this technology and its ancillary support structures make it possible to deliver extremely advanced and developed programs to small numbers of students in widely separated locations, on an individual or small group basis. Distance education, by means of computers and their peripherals, are providing small, more remote schools with opportunities to offer enriched programs which formerly were only available to larger, more centralized schools ( see DISTANCE LEARNING ).

The Ideology of Choice

Schools in this country are also adapting to the changing public ideology which advocates, in many areas, choice as a basic right. Parents' rights to choose the school to which to send their child are creating an environment in which administrators are faced with marketing their institutions as never before. When allied with a system of funding which is linked directly with student numbers, the ideology of choice frequently compels schools to compete with one another for parental support and commitment. Governments argue that this competition will enhance accountability and improve the relevance of education ( see EDUCATION, ORGANIZATION ).

An emerging feature of our educational scenario which can be linked to the concept of parental choice is that of home schooling. Within the past decade the choice to home school their children has been made in Canada by an increasing number of parents ( see EDUCATION, ALTERNATIVE ). At present almost 1% of all school age children are home schooled. Most of these students are at the elementary level. Technological advances have made it possible for school systems to provide considerable support to parents and students involved with home education. Home schooling is in its infancy still and it remains to be seen how governments and school systems will adapt their established modes of operation to best assist this movement.

The value and importance of education in Canada is seen in the increasing numbers who are pursuing post-secondary learning experiences. Lower birthrates and lower immigration helped to account for the steady decline in elementary and secondary enrolment in the 1970s and early 1980s. In the mid-1980s enrolment increased as baby boomers began to have children. From 1971 to 1985, when elementary and secondary enrolment dropped 14%, full-time post-secondary numbers increased nearly 62%, and the growth continued for the next 9 years. Only in the past year has a slight decrease been noted in the enrolment in post-secondary institutions, though present enrolments are still more than 70% above the 1971 figures ( see EDUCATION, HIGHER ).

In 1998 full-time enrolment in post-secondary institutions exceeded 968 000, of whom over 573 000 (59%) were in universities. Full-time enrolments account for about 70% of all students in universities and about 72% in colleges. In the past 15 years part-time enrolment at universities had increased by over 90%, peaking in 1992 at just over 316 000. In the past years there has been a steady decline in all provinces in the number of students attending university on a part-time basis - the present figure is approximately 250 000. It is also worth noting that in the past 30 years there has been a steady and sustained growth in the number of women attending post-secondary institutions in Canada and that women now make up the majority of students in both universities and colleges ( see WOMEN AND EDUCATION ).

Traditionally, there have been social and economic reasons for acquiring higher educational standards. Higher-status occupations are generally awarded to people who hold college or university degrees. And on the economic side, better education appears to have raised labour earnings per worker by about 30% from 1911-61, according to one estimate ( see EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY ).

 Although the growth in provision of formal education reflects a continuing faith in the advantages of formal education, there is no longer an assurance that more education will result in employment or better-paying jobs. Many highly educated people are unemployed or underemployed, and some futurists predict that an increasing number of people will never be engaged in work as it was known in the 1980s. However, educational reforms and reviews undertaken across Canada continue to emphasize the need for schools to concentrate, more than they have in the recent past, on the preparation of students for useful work.

So inclusive has the mandate for schooling become that it is difficult to determine what themes or topics can or should be legitimately excluded. Relatively little attention seems to be paid to matters relating to ecology, world peace and imbalances in food, wealth and educational opportunity.

UNESCO has identified the following as some of the important global issues deserving attention through education: the grievous inequalities among nations and peoples; the risk of growing dehumanization affecting both privileged and oppressed alike; the need for people to understand the global consequences of individual behaviours, of conceiving priorities and sharing of the joint responsibility in determining the destiny of the human race; and the need to give strong support to democracy as the only way to avoid becoming enslaved to machines, and as the only condition compatible with the dignity of the human race. UNESCO recognized the lifelong nature of education as well as the fact that education occurs in many contexts within society. A multiplicity of out-of-school forms of learning must be used in providing instruction and education for pupils of all ages, adults included. However in that organized education provides systems of knowledge and methods which help and enable individuals to form their own personal interpretation of the tremendous information flow and to assimilate it in a useful way, it remains an essential element of society.

The direction of education for the future is captured in the following observation, also from the UNESCO publication Learning to Be : "if learning involves all of one's life, in the sense of both time-span and diversity, and all of society, including its social and economic as well as its educational resources, then we must go even further than the necessary overhaul of educational systems until we reach the stage of a learning society."

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A Newcomers’ Guide to Education in Canada

Discover the canadian educational system with our in-depth guide. we give newcomers to canada the crucial information they need for a successful educational experience in canada, from the school enrollment procedure in primary and high school to an understanding of post-secondary education options across this country., table of contents, is education free in canada for immigrants, is education in canada public or private, who pays for education in canada, what are the other education options for my child, which province in canada has the best education system.

• How do I enroll my child in school in Canada?

What is the school schedule in Canada?

What languages are taught in canadian schools, how are students graded in canada, what is special education called in canada, what are common school events and activities in canada, how can parents stay involved in their children's education in canada, what is the swis program for settlement workers in schools, contact canadavisa and cohen immigration law for assistance.

Welcome to your comprehensive guide on Canada's educational system. This manual will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the Canadian educational system's framework, from early childhood schooling to high school. It addresses important subjects such as school selection, enrollment procedures, grading systems, and the distinctions between public and private schools. We also explore practical topics like common school events and activities as well as parental involvement in a child’s education and the SWIS program. We'll also go over the assistance available for students with special learning needs and the significance of language classes in the classroom. Dive into this guide to prepare for a rewarding and successful educational journey in Canada for you and your family.

Yes. Getting an education for your child in Canada is free for all newcomers to Canada, including permanent residents, work permit holders and study permit holders.

As a permanent resident in Canada, you will not need to provide any extra documentation to allow your child to receive a free public school education in this country. In Canada, the public school education system covers the costs of school for all children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents from kindergarten to the end of high school. Typically, this means that school is free for children from the ages of 5 or 6 to 18 years old. This is because the Canadian education system is jointly funded through the taxes paid by all residents.

On the other hand, temporary residents (including study permit and work permit holders) may need to supply their local school board with certain documents to verify their child’s eligibility for a free public school education. The required documents may vary based on the province or territory you choose to settle in, as each region in Canada has unique rules that govern its education system.

In other words, for work and study permit holders in Canada with temporary resident status, their child’s eligibility for a no-cost public school education will depend on the rules of the school board in their community .

Example: Toronto District School Board (TDSB) in Ontario

In Toronto, the most populated city in Canada’s most popular immigrant destination province, the TDSB notes that children of work permit holders “may” qualify for “fee-exempt status” under certain conditions.

The same is true for any children of study permit holders under the age of 18. Under a specific set of conditions decided by the TDSB , including but not limited to the following, study permit holders in Canada can have their children educated in Canada’s public school education system for free.

• The parent must have a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution that receives operating grants from the Government of Ontario
• The parent must maintain status as a full-time student
• The student must live with the parent who is studying in Ontario
• The parent must be accepted into a full-time program leading to a post-secondary degree, diploma, or certificate program. Certificate programs must be at least 2 semesters long and meet the Ministry requirement for total instructional hours (minimum 600+ hours).

According to the TDSB, if the fee-exempt status applies, the student may begin school 1 week before the start date of the parent’s program fees will apply to students who wish to enroll prior to this date.

Government and school board resources in the province and community you settle in will be able to provide policy information specific to your situation.

Note: If newcomers to Canada want to have their children educated outside of the public school system, they will incur out-of-pocket costs to enrol their child in a private school or boarding school (more on private vs public education to follow).

Canada has both public and private education options in most communities across the country, allowing families to decide on their child’s educational path based on their available financial resources and educational preferences.

Public schools are, as the name suggests, institutions funded by taxes collected from the public in each province/territory. These schools offer free education for children from kindergarten until they graduate from high school. Public schools are all governed by the province/territory they are in. This means that the material that their students are taught is chosen by the governments of each region.

Private schools, on the other hand, are owned by private entities that charge parents an annual tuition fee to enrol their children. Tuition fees vary significantly based on the institution. Private schools are not restricted to the curriculum decided by the province in which they are located, allowing them to independently decide what to teach students enrolled at their institution.

Newcomers to Canada can incur costs for their child’s education depending on the type of institution they want their child to attend.

While a public school education is free for most residents of Canada (see above note regarding children of work and study permit holders) from when they begin kindergarten to when they graduate high school, these costs can range from between $15,000 and $30,000 annually for their child to attend a private/independent day school or $63,000 to $83,000 every year to obtain a private/independent boarding school education.

Beyond public and private education options, parents interested in educating their children themselves may partake in homeschooling. Similar to how public schooling systems differ by province or territory, rules and regulations for homeschooling your child also vary based on the region you are living in.

Note: Parents can often find suggested curriculum and supporting material online. Less than one percent of children in Canada are homeschooled.

Generally, Canada has a high quality of education regardless of where you settle across this country.

Determining which province has the “best” education system, however, is a matter of understanding your family’s needs and preferences. Educational curriculums for the public school system are decided at the provincial/territorial level, meaning that each region makes its own choices about what students learn.

For instance, while French is mandatory in the Ontario education system's curriculum for students in grades 4 through 8, learning French is only a recommendation in Alberta. Meanwhile, French is the predominant language of educational instruction in Quebec, as it is the first language of the province.

To the extent possible, it may be worth using the internet to assess the different curriculums across Canada before picking the province or territory you would like to settle your family in.

How do I enrol my child in school in Canada?

In Canada, the school enrollment process will vary depending on the level of school you’re interested in for your child and where you live. In any case, however, parents require the following four documents to enrol their children in primary (elementary) or secondary (high) schools across Canada:

• birth certificate
• proof of guardianship or custody
• proof of residency
• record of immunizations (to prove that your child’s vaccines are up to date)

The first step in the enrolment process for both elementary and high school in Canada is to contact your local school board.

Since a school board usually manages a number of schools in the community, you will often have more than one school to choose from in your region.

When a child is first enrolled in school across Canada, either the school board or the school they will be attending will assess their level of education and decide the level they should be placed at as well as whether they require free support (ex. English or French classes).

Schools operate between September and June every year, minus weekends and holidays such as Christmas or March Break.

Although this can vary at every school in Canada, elementary and high schools across this country typically begin their day between 8 and 9 am. The school day usually ends between 3 and 4 pm. In the case of universities and colleges across Canada, times tend to vary because they typically offer flexibility through evening and night classes for students that need such options.

Summer break in Canada is between the end of one school year (late June) and the start of the next (early September).

Students in Canada can study in either English or French. Some educational institutions offer instruction in both languages, but students are not required to be fluent in both languages to attend school at any level in Canada.

Across most of the country, the main language of education is English, but French language education is also widely available. Regardless of the main language of instruction, some level of French or English as a second language is generally taught from an early age.

In Quebec, however, students are usually required to be educated in French until the end of secondary school. This includes newcomers to Canada, although some private education options may be available for Quebec-bound newcomers who would like their child to be taught in English. In addition, temporary residents in Quebec (ex. on a study permit, work permit etc.) may enrol their child in school with English-language instruction.

In addition to standard class instruction in English and French, many institutions across Canada offer English as a Second Language (ESL) and French as a Second Language (FSL) classes to students of all ages. These classes are designed to aid newcomer students in Canada, whose first language is not English or French, with learning how to write, read and speak in one of Canada’s two official languages.

Especially for newcomers to Canada, specially designed and focused language classes are an integral part of the Canadian education system due to the advantages they provide children as they go through life, from when they begin learning French and English to when they become self-sufficient working adults. Knowledge of Canada’s official languages has been shown to be correlated with greater economic and career success in this country, meaning that your child could benefit greatly from receiving an education in both languages.

Although there are variations based on the province/territory of education, the following table includes the general grading system used in Canadian schools.

It is important for parents of children with disabilities/special needs to understand that Canada values the inclusion of all children within the education system. For that reason, many Canadian schools offer one or both of the following education options for students with intellectual and/or physical disabilities. The placement of your child in one of these situations will typically depend on the extent of their needs.

Note: Other resources available for children with special learning needs include resource workers inside a school who are trained to aid students with disabilities throughout their learning experience.

Immersion in standard classes with the help of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or similar aid

For students with mild physical disabilities as well as some less severe intellectual disabilities, many of Canada’s schools will try to immerse them into standard classes with their classmates. Recognizing that they still may need special attention, many provinces and territories use Individual Education Plans (IEPs) to improve the learning experience of students with special needs. These plans outline how a school board will assist a student - through accommodations, services and special programs - to make sure that they are able to learn optimally and get the most out of their education.

Specialized classroom settings for students requiring extra help and attention

In the case of students with more advanced special needs, many Canadian schools offer special education classes where your child will be grouped alongside other students with special needs for a uniquely designed educational experience. In these classes, students will typically be taught different content than in standard classes, usually at a different pace that is more suitable for their needs.

Across Canada, schools often organize field trips that allow students to explore and learn while away from the classroom. Several examples of common field trip locations in Ontario, the top province for newcomer settlement, include the Ontario Science Centre and Black Creek Pioneer Village. These trips, which are typically organized to span a full school day, give children the opportunity to have fun and learn in a new environment.

Other common activities run by Canadian schools include extracurricular sports teams and clubs for children to interact with one another outside of school hours. Always involving the guidance of an adult (typically a teacher at the school), clubs may operate for such things as chess or student government in high school as well as art, math or photography. Available clubs and teams will depend on the school board where your child is enrolled.

Finally, many Canadian schools host annual events and spirit days that allow children to get involved with different parts of this country’s history. For instance, some communities across Canada celebrate Canadian icon Terry Fox with an annual Terry Fox Run. Likewise, it is common for schools in many areas of Canada to hold a moment of silence and a “ceremony” (often referred to as an “assembly”) on Remembrance Day in honour of Canada’s military.

In Canada, many schools have Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) that allow parents the opportunity to involve themselves at their child’s school through fundraising and event planning, as well as volunteering their time to chaperone events such as school dances or field trips.

A less time-consuming way to get involved in your child’s education is to attend their parent-teacher conferences, which give you the chance to get to know your child’s educators as well as get a better understanding of what they are learning, their strengths and weaknesses as a student and what you can do at home to help them succeed in the classroom.

Finally, one way to get very involved in your child’s education is by participating in events and meetings with the school board or school district. School boards across Canada hold regular meetings throughout the school year, as well as the summer months, to give parents and community members the opportunity to voice their opinion and influence the school board’s direction and decisions (curriculum etc.). There may even be opportunities for parents to obtain a seat on the school board committee, as positions open throughout the year and spots are voted on by the members of the community served by the board.

Talk to your child’s school and their teachers to get an even greater idea of how you can get involved with their educational experience in Canada.

The Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) program is an initiative from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that operates in many provinces across Canada. This program provides newcomer students and their families with settlement services and information through a SWIS worker assigned to your child’s school.

Through this program, SWIS workers assist students and their families with their transition to life in Canada by giving them information to help them get more comfortable in a new country while also referring them to resources provided by other entities (schools, agencies, community programs) that also assist them in this goal.

Please contact your school or the SWIS office directly (after enrolling your child at a school) to find out more about SWIS services available in your area.

Do you require Canadian immigration assistance?

Cohen Immigration Law is a leading Canadian immigration law firm with over 45 years of experience. Cohen Immigration Law is comprised of over 60 Canadian immigration lawyers, paralegals, and other professionals. We are dedicated to helping people achieve their Canadian immigration goals. We assist in areas including skilled worker and business immigration, family sponsorship, work permits, study permits, citizenship, and inadmissibility. CanadaVisa.com was founded in 1994 as the online presence of Cohen Immigration Law. CanadaVisa has since blossomed into the one of the world's most trusted resources on Canadian immigration. Please reach out for assistance. We're happy to help:

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A quality education in Canada

When you study in Canada as an international student, you’re investing in your future.

On this page

Quality assurance and standards, globally recognized qualifications, world-class elementary and high school studies, leading colleges and universities, strong research opportunities, in-demand language studies, related links.

In Canada, provincial and territorial governments are responsible for education. They follow standards to ensure high quality public education across the country.

Not all colleges and universities can host international students. Provincial and territorial governments only allow schools to become a designated learning institution if they meet certain standards.

7 Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the World University Rankings.

Times Higher Education, 2023

Canada is a top-performing OECD country in reading literacy, maths and sciences.

Canada is the 4th most popular destination for English language learners and 2nd for French language studies.

Languages Canada, 2021

Canada is globally renowned for its education system. Your education in Canada can lead to international opportunities. Want to know if your qualifications will be recognized in Canada or abroad? You can learn about qualifications recognition from the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials.

International employers recently ranked Canada’s education system in the top 10 of the Global Employability Rankings ( Times Higher Education, 2021 ).

Studying elementary or high school in Canada could open a world of possibilities for you or your child. Over 95% of Canadians choose public school education for their children. All public schools in Canada are publicly funded and employ only government certified teachers. Canadian high school graduation diplomas are internationally recognized.

Colleges and universities in Canada have strong reputations. Institutions are responsible for the quality and continuous improvement of their programs.

Canada’s higher education system was ranked 7 th in the world ( Universitas, 2020 ).

Professional bodies review certain professional programs to ensure they meet the needs of the field, such as nursing, architecture and engineering. Learn more about professional programs accreditation from Universities Canada.

46% of college and university graduates in 2015 participated in hands-on learning, such as co-op placements, internships, practicums or clinical placements ( Statistics Canada, 2018 ).

Search college and university programs

Want to make a groundbreaking research discovery? Canadian colleges and universities are home to world-class research labs and facilities. You’ll also get to learn from internationally-renowned professors.

196 of the world’s most highly cited researchers are from Canada. This means Canada ranks as the 6th top country with the most highly cited researchers ( Clarivate, 2021 ).

Canada is a popular destination for English and French language schools . You’ll find high-quality language programs since many public and private language schools must follow Languages Canada’s quality assurance framework .

International students choose language studies to experience Canadian culture and improve their language skills. Many students take language courses to help prepare to enter a Canadian university or college program afterward.

• High quality public education in Canada
• How quality assurance works in Canada
• Information on quality assurance systems in each province
• Ministries/departments responsible for education in Canada

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Canadian education system

Learn about the education system in Canada from elementary schools to colleges and universities.

Top reasons to study in Canada

Discover the many reasons why international students choose to study in Canada.

Credentials and qualifications

Learn about how to get your academic credentials and qualifications assessed.

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Education in Canada: Types of schooling

Table of contents, understand the different types of canadian schooling.

There are 3 types of schooling in Canada

• primary (elementary)
• post-secondary

Primary (or elementary) school

Primary education is generally for kids 5 to 12 years old. This usually includes

• preschool (optional)
• kindergarten
• grade 1 to 6

Learn more about primary school

Secondary (or high) school

Secondary education is generally for kids 12 to 18 years old. This group usually includes Grades 7 to 12.

Learn more about Secondary school

Post-secondary

With the right educational credentials, anyone can apply to attend a post-secondary school.

Learn more about post-secondary school

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Education in Canada

Much of Canada’s success as a prosperous, modern, industrialized nation has been credited to the country’s strong tradition of high-quality schools, which remain among the most respected in the world.

School buses , which take children to school and back every day, are an essential part of life for millions of Canadian students, particularly those who live in remote or rural communities.

K-12 Grade School

For 13 years, from the ages of five to 18, Canadian children are legally required to attend school from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, from September to June. Free  public schools are provided by the provincial governments, and students attend 13 different grades for each year in the system, starting with Kindergarten , followed by grade 1 , then grade 2 and so on until grade 12 . These 13 grades — often called the   “ K to 12 ” years — are usually separated into three phases: elementary school , middle school , and high school , meaning most Canadian children will attend at least three different physical schools before completing their mandatory years of education.

Elementary School

It’s difficult to firmly state when elementary school (or any other phase of grade school) begins and ends in Canada, since every province has its own cutoff dates, often set by local school boards. In the majority of cases, however, the “elementary” years usually span from Kindergarten to around sixth or seventh grade.

Kindergarten classes are often considered little more than glorified babysitting and exist mostly to help socialize very young children into a classroom setting, with simple activities such as counting, singing, colouring, and games. Some parents will even put their kids into even simpler preschool classes when they’re still toddlers, though these are not mandatory.

As children grow older and more mature, the early numbered grades gradually educate students on basic concepts in the world of math, science, history, geography, and civics, but with a strong focus on “hands-on” learning and creative projects. In most elementary classes, all subjects are taught by a single, all-purpose teacher, with students usually progressing to a different teacher after completing a grade or two.

For reasons that aren't entirely clear, apples are a common symbol associated with schools and teachers in Canada, and often feature prominently in education related merchandise and stock footage.

Middle School

In many provinces, middle school  (or junior high ) is a fairly new invention, designed to help facilitate the transition from the easygoing climate of elementary school to the more structured and demanding world of high school. Kids usually attend middle schools in their early teen years — often from around age 13 to 15 — though again, it varies a lot from province to province.

Middle school introduces the concept of different subjects being taught by different teachers, with students moving from classroom to classroom after the conclusion of each lesson. The subject matter remains mostly the same as in elementary school, but now with considerably more detail and stricter standards of grading. The focus begins to shift from creative projects and group activities to written assignments and test-driven learning.

After completing the long, 13-year slog of grade school, many students are understandably eager to celebrate. Most schools are happy to oblige, and Canadian high schools will traditionally organize a special party for students known as prom or grad near the end of the school year. Students enjoy dressing up, limo rides, a fancy meal, and lots of dancing. Hopefully, everyone can find a date.

High School

High school marks the most demanding phase of Canadian public education — both educationally and socially — and spans the late teenage years. It concludes with a fancy graduation ceremony at the end of grade 12, when most students are 18 years old. Even once they’re well into adulthood, a lot of Canadians look back at their high school years with particularly vivid memories. For many, high school marks the rite of passage from childhood to adolescence, and heralds the start of interest in “adult” activities like dating, driving, and alcohol, along with all sorts of new emotions and personal drama.

In high school, classes are now much more specialized and specific. Rather than simply “science,” for example, students may take courses in physics, biology, or chemistry, offering much more emphasis on honing academic knowledge in one particular direction. Written assignments and tests become significantly longer and more detailed, and teachers stricter and more demanding.

In order to successfully complete high school, and thus their entire grade school education, students must pass  provincial exams in several subjects. These are written by the provincial government and intended to provide definitive assessment as to whether or not students have learned everything the government considers important. Failing to get decent marks on provincial exams can make it quite difficult to get admitted into a good university, while failing to pass them all is a pretty intense social taboo that can severely limit one’s ability to find decent work. With such high stakes, exam time is generally the most stressful period of a student’s K-12 education.

Minority Rights

In order to protect the survival of French communities outside Quebec and English communities inside it, Canada's Constitution spends a fair bit of time establishing " Minority Language Education Rights ." Basically, if a parent can prove their child belongs to a French or English minority community, they have a right to be educated in that language. If the community's size is "sufficient," the government must provide them with a school.

Special Schools

Canada’s provincial governments are supposed to avoid endorsing any one religion over another, and for this reason any religious school must be privately-run. The exception is  Catholic schools , which are publicly-funded in the provinces of Alberta , Saskatchewan , and Ontario , a holdover from a time when Catholics were such a small and persecuted minority in Canada it was considered important for the government to protect their right to educate their children in their faith. Today, it’s not uncommon for secular families to enroll their kids in Catholic schools simply because their educational and discipline standards are assumed to be higher. In practical terms, the main difference between Catholic schools and non-Catholic ones is the former will include at least some religious studies classes as part of their mandatory curriculum.

A uniquely Canadian twist on traditional public education is French Immersion schooling, which is when a school in an English-speaking province teaches students entirely in French in order to help make them fluent in Canada’s second official language. Popular with highly ambitious parents who dream of their children getting high-paying government jobs, the programs tend to fill up extremely quickly and there are often long wait times before a student will even be considered. In French-speaking Quebec ,  English schools are equally popular, but a child’s ability to enrol in one is severely limited by provincial laws designed to discourage their use. Only children of parents who were also educated in English are able to enrol .

A very small fraction of Canadian parents opt their children out of both public and private schools and educate themselves at home, in a practice known as homeschooling . This is perfectly legal, though homeschooled kids must still eventually pass government-mandated exams in order to have their education officially recognized. Homeschooling tends to be most popular with religious Canadians, rural families, or those with very conservative or libertarian political beliefs.

Graduating students at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. The Peak

Founded by French missionaries in the 17th century, Quebec City's Laval University is Canada's oldest post-secondary institution.

Post-Secondary Education in Canada

After graduating high school, a minority of Canadian teenagers proceed to enrol in college or university to continue their education for several more years. A college , in Canadian language, is usually a small community school mainly focused on vocational or trade training or granting university credits, while a university is an institution that grants degrees. It’s common to attend college for a few years before enrolling in university, especially if one’s grades were not high enough to earn admittance immediately after high school.

Canadian universities , like universities elsewhere in the world, issue degrees in a vast array of subjects, including art, science, education, medicine, and law. Degrees are sorted into three basic tiers: Bachelor’s ( BA ), Master’s ( MA ), and Doctorate ( PhD ). Broadly speaking, a BA will take at least four years to earn and will require taking a variety of fairly intensive classes that will require writing several long research essays and exams in order to pass. A master’s degree or doctorate will take considerably longer and will require the additional step of re-applying to the university’s graduate school program, which has much tougher standards for admission.

These days, more Canadians are attending college and university than ever before, both because most Canadian post-secondary schools have been physically expanding to accommodate greater numbers of students, and also because rising incomes and new student loan programs have made post-secondary education far more affordable — at least in the short term. A lot of respectable, white-collar jobs in Canada now require their employees to possess at least a BA, meaning the status is not nearly as elite as it once was. It’s currently estimated that around  50 per cent of Canadian adults hold at least some sort of post-secondary degree — a global high.

Canada's top five universities, according to the Times Higher Education

• University of Toronto
• University of British Columbia
• McGill University
• University of Montreal
• University of Alberta

Top Canadian Universities

Every province in Canada has at least one “good” university, in the sense of being an institution of some reputation and prestige. There isn’t really a “Canadian Oxford” or “Canadian Harvard,” but there are at least 10 or so universities that comprise a fairly well-understood elite group of roughly equal status and acclaim. These include the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, the University of Alberta in Alberta, the University of Waterloo , the University of Toronto , Queen’s University and McMaster University in Ontario, McGill University and the Université de Montréal in Quebec, and Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

• Best Universities in Canada 2017, Times Higher Education
• Canadian University Rankings 2017, Maclean’s

Quick Facts

• All Canadians are legally required to attend school from ages 5 to 18.
• The Canadian public school system puts children through 13 grades, each of which is progressively more difficult and specialized.
• After graduating from grade school, some Canadians choose to go on to university in order to increase their chances of better employment opportunities.
• Every region of Canada possesses at least one university of high status and reputation.

All public school teachers in Canada are unionized, and the relationship between the teachers' unions and their provincial government employers is often tense. Seen here, members of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario protest a 2012 government-imposed contract.

Private School

Around five per cent of Canadian families choose to opt out of the public school system and enroll their kids in private schools, which are funded by tuition fees and thus cost money to attend. Though these schools usually have smaller budgets, they generally enjoy higher academic ratings and produce students with higher grades. They’re also quite expensive, however, and remain controversial for precisely this reason. How much of a role should family wealth play in determining one’s quality of education?