Education in Canada
1950 Canadian School Train, pupils attend
classes at Nemigos near Chapleau, Ontario.
Education in Canada is provided, funded
and overseen by federal, provincial, and local
governments. Education is within provincial
jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen
by the province.[1] Education in Canada is
generally divided into Elementary (Primary
School, Public School), followed by Second-
ary
(High School) and Post Secondary
(University, College). Within the provinces
under the ministry of education, there are
district school boards administering the edu-
cational programs.[2] Education is compuls-
ory up to the age of 16 in every province in
Canada, except for Ontario and New Brun-
swick, where the compulsory age is 18. In
some provinces early leaving exemptions can
be granted under certain circumstances at
14. Canada generally has 190 school days in
the year, officially starting from September
(after Labour Day) to the end of June (usually
the last Friday of the month).
Canada-wide
Elementary, secondary, and post-secondary
education in Canada is a provincial respons-
ibility and there are many variations between
the provinces. Some educational fields are
supported at various levels by Federal De-
partments. The Department of Indian and
Northern Affairs Canada is responsible for
the education of first nations.[3][4] Vocational
training can be subsidized via the Depart-
ment of Labour.[5][6] Junior Kindergarten (or
equivalent) as an official program exists only
in Ontario currently. Kindergarten (or its
equivalent) is available in every province, but
provincial funding, and the number of hours
provided varies widely. Starting at grade one,
at age six or seven, there is universal publicly
funded access up to grade twelve (or equival-
ent). Dependent on the province the age of
mandatory entry is at 4-7 years. Children are
required to attend school until the age of six-
teen (Age 18 in Ontario and New Brunswick).
About one out of ten Canadians does not
have a high school diploma — one in seven
has