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Education in Canada is provided, funded, and overseen by federal, provincial, and local governments.

Canada-wide

Education in Canada is a provincial responsibility and there are many variations between the provinces. Junior Kindergarten (or equivalent) as an official program exists in some, but not most places. Kindergarten (or equivalent) is available in every province, but provincial funding, and the level of hours provided varies widely. Starting at grade one, at about age five, there is universal publicly funded access up to grade twelve (or equivalent). Children are required to attend school until the age of sixteen, except in Ontario where attendance is compulsory until 18. While about one out of ten Canadians do not have any high school education and only one in seven have a university degree, this is changing rapidly, partly due to changes in the labour market that require people to have a high school diploma and, in many cases, a university degree.

Canada spends about 7% of its GDP on education. Since the adoption of section 23 of the Constitution Act, 1982, education in both English and French has been available in most places across Canada (if the population of children speaking the minority language justifies it).

Divisions by religion and language

Originally all the provinces had educational systems divided by religion, but most provinces have abolished these. Ontario, Alberta, and certain cities in Saskatchewan are the exception to this, as they still maintain publicly funded Separate district school boards (usually Catholic and occasionally Protestant). In Quebec, the Catholic/Protestant divide was replaced with a French/English one in 1998. Quebecois must attend a French school up until the end of high school unless one of their parents previously attended an English-language school somewhere in Canada (immigrants from other countries cannot use this exception).

Length of study

Most Canadian education systems continue up to grade twelve. In Quebec, the typical high school term ends after Secondary five, the same as to grade eleven (age sixteen to seventeen). Following this, students have to attend CEGEP as means of preparing for studies at the university level.

Authorities

Normally, for each type of publicly funded school (such as Public English or Public French), the province is divided into districts (or divisions). For each district, board members (trustees) are elected only by its supporters within the district (voters receive a ballot for just one of the boards in their area). Normally, all publicly funded schools are under the authority of their local district school board. Only Alberta allows public charter schools, which are independent of any district board. Instead, they each have their own board, which reports directly to the province.

Pre-university

Primary education and secondary education combined are sometimes referred to as K-12 (Kindergarten through Grade 12). It should be noted that this structure can vary from school to school, and from province to province. (For instance, Prince Edward Island does not offer kindergarten in the school system).

In Canada, secondary schooling, known as high school, "école secondaire" or secondary school, differs depending on the province in which one resides. Additionally, grade structure may vary within a province and even within a school division. Typically, Canada's secondary school system follows the American pattern with some variations.

Ontario had a "Grade 13" known as Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) year, but this was abolished by the provincial government to cut costs. OAC was last offered for the 2002-2003 school year. As a result the curriculum has been compacted, and the more difficult subjects, such as mathematics, are comparatively harder than before. However, the system is now approximately equivalent to what has been the case outside of Quebec and Ontario for many years. Secondary education in Quebec continues to Grade 11 (Secondary V), and is typically followed by CEGEP, a two or three year college program taken after high school. Pre-university CEGEP programs are two years in Quebec (university for Quebecers is three years), and vocational or professional programs are three years in duration (see Education in Quebec).

Post-secondary education

Post-secondary education in Canada is also the responsibility of the individual provinces and territories. Those governments provide the majority of funding to their public post-secondary institutions, with the remainder of funding coming from tuition fees, the federal government, and research grants.

Nearly all post-secondary institutions in Canada have the authority to grant academic credentials (i.e., diplomas or degrees). Generally speaking, universities grant degrees (e.g., bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees) while colleges, which typically offer vocationally-oriented programs, grant diplomas and certificates. However, some colleges offer applied arts degrees that lead to or are equivalent to degrees from a university.

Post-secondary education in Quebec begins with CEGEP (collèges d'enseignement général et professionnel), following graduation from Grade 11 (or Secondary V). Students complete a two- or three-year general program leading to admission to a university, or a professional program leading directly into the labour force. In most cases, bachelor's degree programs in Quebec are three years instead of the usual four; however, in many cases, students attending a university in Quebec that did not graduate from CEGEP must complete an additional year of coursework. When Ontario had five years of high school, a three-year bachelor's degree was common, but these degrees are being phased out in favour of the four-year degree.

The main variation between the provinces, with respect to universities, is the amount of funding they receive. Universities in Quebec receive the most funding and have the lowest tuitions. Universities in Atlantic Canada generally receive the least funding and some, like Acadia University, are almost wholly reliant on private funding.

Private and religious schools

In Canada there is no obligation for parents to place their children in the public school system, and about 8% of students are in the private system. A minority of these are elite private schools. These schools are attended by only a small fraction of students, but do have a great deal of prestige and prominence. It is not unusual for the wealthy and prominent in Canada to send their children to public schools, especially in the lower grades.

History

A far larger portion of private schools are religious based institutions. The role of religion in Canadian education has been controversial for centuries. The first schools in New France were operated by the church. In the early nineteenth century the colonial governments moved to set up publicly funded education systems. However, soon religious divisions became problematic. At the time religious study was considered an integral part of education, but Protestants and Catholics were deeply divided over how this education should be delivered. In Upper Canada the Catholic minority rejected the Protestant practice of Biblical study in schools, while in Lower Canada the Protestant minority objected to the education system instilling Roman Catholic dogma. Thus in both these areas two schools systems were established, a Catholic and a Protestant. Upon Confederation these schools systems were enshrined in the British North America Act, 1867.

In the three Maritime provinces, schools were mainly Protestant, and a single Protestant oriented school system was established in each of them. In Newfoundland there was not only the Catholic/Protestant split, but also deep divisions between Protestant sects, and nine separate schools systems were set up, one catering to each major denomination. Eventually the major Protestant boards merged into an integrated school system. The three Prairie provinces adopted a system based on Ontario's with a dominant Protestant system, and smaller Catholic ones. In 1891, however Manitoba moved to eliminate the Catholic board, sparking the Manitoba Schools Question. Eventually the Catholic school system in that province was merged with the Protestant one. British Columbia established a non-sectarian school system in 1872.

Overtime the originally Protestant school boards of English Canada, known as the public schools, became increasingly secularized as Canadians came to believe in the separation of Church and state, and the main boards became secular ones. In Ontario all overt religiosity was removed from the public school system in 1990. In two provinces the sectarian education systems have recently been eliminated through constitutional change. Newfoundland, after a close and controversial referendum, eliminated its multiple school boards, merging them into a single public board. In Quebec the Catholic/Protestant divide was replaced with a French language/English language one.

Private religious schools

Each province deals differently with private religious schools. In Ontario the Catholic system continues to be fully publicly funded, but other faiths receive no such funding. Ontario has several private Jewish, Muslim, and Christian schools, but all are funded through tuition fees. Since the Catholic schools system is entrenched in the constitution, the Supreme Court has ruled that this system is not unconstitutional. However, the United Nations has ruled that Ontario's system is unfair. In 2002 the government of Mike Harris introduced a controversial program to partially fund all private schools, but this was criticized for undermining the public education system and the program was eliminated after the Liberals won the 2003 provincial election

In other provinces privately operated religious schools are funded. In British Columbia the government today pays 50% of the cost of religious schools that meet rigorous provincial standards. The province today has a number of Sikh, Hindu, Christian and Muslim schools. Alberta also has a network of charter schools, which are fully funded schools offering distinct approaches to education within the public school system. Alberta charter schools are not private and the province does not grant charters to religious schools. These schools have to follow the provincial curriculum and meet all standards, but are given considerable freedom in other areas. In all other provinces private religious schools receive some funding, but not as much as the public system.

Stats

The structure of education in Canada differs from province to province, however the studies are comparable. A standard through the government needs to be met by each Canadian student throughout their schooling. This standard is not necessarily in achievement of grades, but in the overall knowledge they gather. Some provinces are better than others in certain areas, especially in the secondary school system. The following is a list of how provinces rank as recorded by STATCAN in October 2005. The survey is performed once every 3 years.

RANK PROVINCE

ABOVE ANGLO STANDARDS 1 Ontario 2 British Columbia

AT/AVERAGE TO ANGLO STANDARDS 3 Quebec 4 Manitoba 5 Saskatchewan

BELOW ANGLO STANDARDS 6 Alberta 7 Nova Scotia 8 Prince Edward Island 9 New Brunswick 10 Newfoundland

The longest holding position of any province has been British Columbia, holding second among all provinces for the past seventeen years. Ontario has placed first for the past eleven years. The province which has taken the biggest slide in Canadian history is Alberta, sliding all the way from first to sixth in just over twelve years, however Alberta still holds first among top female mathematics students.

Universities

At present, all private universities in Canada maintain a religious history or foundation. British Columbia’s Quest University will become the first privately funded liberal arts university without a denominational affiliation (although it is not the first private liberal arts university). Many provinces, including Ontario and Alberta, have passed legislation allowing private degree-granting institutions (not necessarily universities) to operate there.

Many Canadians remain polarized on the issue of permitting private universities into the Canadian market. On the one hand, Canada’s top universities find it difficult to compete with the private American powerhouses because of funding, but on the other hand, the fact that the price of private universities tends to exclude those who cannot pay that much for their education could prevent a significant portion of Canada’s population from being able to attend these schools.

Levels in education

Canada outside Quebec

• Pre-School or Nursery School (age 5 and under)
• Elementary school: refers to kindergarten or grades 1 through grades 7 or 8. Also called "public school" in some places.
  • Junior Kindergarten Only in Ontario (4-5)
  • Kindergarten (5-6)
  • Grade 1-12 (ages 6-18)
• Junior high school: also called "middle school" or "intermediate school". In many places, junior high school and high school are merged into one consisting of a high school with grades 8-12. In other areas, the junior high grades are merged into elementary schools consisting of grades K-8. In parts of Ontario, "senior public schools" exist (basically the same as US middle schools), consisting only of grades 6, 7 and 8 or grades 7 and 8. This particular split is driven by demographics and school building capacity.
  • Grade 7 (12-13)
  • Grade 8 (13-14)
  • Grade 9 (14-15) (in many areas, this is the first grade of high school)
• High school (in some areas, usually areas with no junior high schools, from grade 8 to 12)
  • Grade 10 (15-16)
  • Grade 11 (16-17)
  • Grade 12 (17-18)
  • Grade 12+ (21 and under)
  • OAC Equivalent of Grade 13 (18-19) (only in Ontario, this is now defunct as of 2003)
• College or University
  • College or University
    • College: Two to three years leading to a diploma. In some cases, an Associate's degree (not common in Canada) or a Bachelor's degree may be possible at the institution
    • University: Three years leading to a Bachelor's degree; four years leading to an advanced major degree or an Honours Bachelor's degree (the latter is usually required for Graduate school). Some undergraduate universities offer four-year, single-degree programs and five-year, double-degree programs.
  • Graduate school
    • One or two years leading to a Master's degree, depending on programme requirements.
    • Four years leading to a Doctoral degree.

Special Notes

• In some provinces, such as Nova Scotia, kindergarten is referred to as Grade Primary, and in Manitoba, secondary school grade levels are referred to as S1 through S4.

• Ontario schools offer what is known as junior kindergarten for children four years of age. Alternatively, junior kindergarten is referred to as pre-kindergarten, while kindergarten is used interchangeably with senior kindergarten. French schools in Ontario sometimes use pré-jardin and jardin in the place of Quebec and New Brunswick's maternelle.

• Prior to 1984, Ontario included an additional year at the end of high school for preparing students for entrance into University. From 1984 to 2003, the Ontario educational system replaced "Grade 13" for what was called the "OAC Year", in which students took specialized pre-university courses for which Ontario Academic Credits (OACs) were awarded. These specialized courses have been since incorporated into the Province's current 12-year scholastic curriculum, thus effectively eliminating Grade 13.

Quebec

• garderie (Nursery School); Under 5
• maternelle (Kindergarten); 5-6
• école primaire (Primary school)
  • Grade 1; 6-7
  • Grade 2; 7-8
  • Grade 3; 8-9
  • Grade 4; 9-10
  • Grade 5; 10-11
  • Grade 6; 11-12
• école secondaire (Secondary school)
  • Secondary I; 12-13
  • Secondary II; 13-14
  • Secondary III; 14-15
  • Secondary IV; 15-16
  • Secondary V; 16-17
• CEGEP
  • Pre-university program, two years (typically Social Sciences, Natural Sciences or Arts)
  • Professionnal program, three years (e.g. Paralegal, Dental Hygienist, Nursing, etc.)

both leading to a Diplôme d'études collégiales (DEC) some professional programs can lead to an Attestation d'études collégiales (Associate's degree) for one additional year

• University (Must have DEC or equivalent)
  • Undergraduate
    • Three years leading to a Bachelor's degree. Non-Quebec students require an extra year to complete the same degree.
  • Graduate (or postgraduate)
    • One or two years leading to a Master's degree.
    • three or more years leading to a Doctoral degree.

Grade structure by province

The following table shows how grades are organized in various provinces. Often, there will be exceptions within each province, both with terminology for groups, and which grades apply to each group.

Notes:

• In Manitoba, S1 = "Senior 1" (fr:Secondaire 1) = "Grade 9"
• In British Columbia and Nova Scotia the terms for groups, and grades they apply to varies signficantly throughout the province. A common, but not universal, organization is shown.
• In Quebec CEGEP is two or three years, depending on what a student selects, based usually on what their post-secondary plans are. CEGEP in Quebec overlaps what other provinces consider the boundary between secondary education (high school) and post-secondary education (college and university). "Sec I" = "Secondary Year One" = "Grade 7"
• Non-original source (when not citing individual Ministry of Education): Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

See also

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Schools portal

• Quebec education system
• List of Canadian universities
• Alberta charter schools - Currently, this is the only province to have charter schools. (Alberta Diploma Exam)

Sources

• DaycareBear.ca - Canadian Childcare Providers Information Network
• CICIC - Postsecondary Education in Canada
• The Public School System in Canada

• Education in Canada