Overview of Education System - Canada

The Canadian education system is decentralized at the national level and has neither a national
education system nor a national curriculum. The Canadian education system is centralized at
the provincial or territorial level. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories, and as a result, 13
independent education systems in Canada.
Within each jurisdiction, departments or ministries of education have overall
responsibility for the following: developing curriculum; allocating funds to public school boards;
setting policies and guidelines for school trustees, directors of education, principals, and other
school board officials; setting requirements for student diplomas and certificates; and
administering provincial or territorial assessments. Education services are delivered locally
through boards of education, public schools, and independent schools, while the Ministry of
each jurisdiction provides leadership, develops policy and legislation, oversees system
governance, sets curriculum learning standards, and builds accountability frameworks in
partnership with school boards.
In addition to public school settings, there also are private, separate, charter, and home
school settings across the country. Public and separate school systems that are publicly funded
serve about 93 percent of all students in Canada. Six jurisdictions provide partial funding for
private schools if certain criteria are met, which vary among jurisdictions. No funding for private
schools is provided in the other jurisdictions, although they still may be regulated.1 The
proportion of private schools to public schools varies greatly across jurisdictions and by
language of instruction.2
In general, there are two school levels: primary (elementary) and secondary. In Canada,
the primary level mostly ranges from Grades 1 to 6 or from Grades 1 to 8 (depending on the
province). Outside of Quebec, the secondary level mostly ranges from Grades 7 to 12 or from
Grades 9 to 12 (depending on the province). In Quebec, the secondary level consists of Grades
7 to 11.b Lastly, at the secondary level, many jurisdictions offer a large variety of school types
(e.g., alternative or specialized schools) as well as varied courses or tracks (e.g., applied or
advanced), which can affect the content of their mathematics or science courses.
The age range for compulsory education in Canada varies across provinces from 5 to 19
years old. In most Canadian jurisdictions, children may begin primary school at age 6, with the
compulsory starting age ranging from 5 to 7 across jurisdictions. Prior to starting primary
school, most children are enrolled in preprimary education. While all jurisdictions offer some
form of preprimary education, such as kindergarten, depending on the jurisdiction, it may or
may not be compulsory. Besides kindergarten, several other early childhood programs are
available prior to Grade 1 in public or private schools, or in other independent institutions
across Canada.3

Languages of Instruction
English and French are the two official languages of instruction in Canada, with the majority of
students receiving first-language instruction in English. For Canadian students attending schools
in which English is the medium of instruction, French is taught as a second language; the
reverse is the case for schools in which French is the medium of instruction. In order to ensure
that English-speaking students have the opportunity to learn both of Canada’s official
languages, French immersion programs are offered in the public education systems throughout
Canada. In these programs, students who do not speak French as their first language receive
some or all of their instruction, and perform their schoolwork in French. Similarly, English
language programs are available for students who have not received first-language instruction
in English.
Canada has rich cultural diversity that includes numerous aboriginal populations. To
support aboriginal cultures and eliminate the gap in literacy achievement, several bilingual
programs are offered for First Nations languages in combination with English, French, or both.
Of these aboriginal language programs, Cree and Inuktitut are among the most notable.4
As a multilingual and multicultural country, Canada has a significant and continually
growing immigrant population. In some large urban areas, school boards have identified more
than 75 different home languages and dialects among students. A number of language
programs are available in American Sign Language, Arabic, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean,
Mandarin, Punjabi, Spanish, and Ukrainian, among others.
For mathematics and science, the primary language of instruction is English in an
Anglophone school and French in a Francophone school. Mathematics and science instruction
may also be in French for French immersion students. In Canada, English is considered to be the
first language of French immersion students and French their second language. In addition to
these programs, some jurisdictions also offer bilingual programs that provide instruction in a
target language (other than English or French) for up to 50 percent of the school day.5 This
bilingual instruction may or may not include mathematics and science, and may or may not be
in a student’s first language.

The Science Curriculum in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades

Similar to the mathematics curriculum, science curriculum documents for primary and lower
secondary grades also vary across the country. In order to support the development of
curriculum and consistent science learning outcomes across the country, the Common
Framework of Science Learning Outcomes K–12 was created. This framework sets out a vision
and foundation statements for scientific literacy in Canada, outlines general and specific
learning outcomes, and provides illustrative examples for some of these outcomes.9 It defines
scientific literacy as an evolving combination of the science-related skills, knowledge, and
attitudes students need to develop inquiry, problem solving, and decision making abilities to
become lifelong learners, and to maintain a sense of wonder about the world around them. Its
foundational elements are defined as follows:10
Science, technology, society, and the environment (STSE)—Students will develop an
understanding of the nature of science and technology, of the relationships between science
and technology, and of the social and environmental contexts of science and technology
i. Skills—Students will develop the skills required for scientific and technological
inquiry, for solving problems, for communicating scientific ideas and results, for
working collaboratively, and for making informed decisions
ii. Knowledge—Students will construct knowledge and understandings of concepts in
life sciences, physical sciences, and Earth and space sciences and apply these
understandings to interpret, integrate, and extend their knowledge
 iii. Attitudes—Students will be encouraged to develop attitudes that support the
responsible acquisition and application of scientific and technological knowledge to
the mutual benefit of self, society, and the environment

Curricular commonalities in science across jurisdictions are discussed below:

- The primary and secondary science curricula across jurisdictions that were in effect for
the students assessed in TIMSS 2015 covered the vast majority of topics that were
evaluated in the assessment
- The science curricula across the country at the fourth and eighth grades encourage the
process of scientific inquiry, problem solving, and scientific reasoning to develop the
skills and knowledge needed to solve real world problems11
Fourth grade science students across the country are expected to develop knowledge and skills
in:
i. Life science—The requirements of living organisms; energy sources of living beings;
adaptation; and ecology (i.e., habitats, populations, etc.)
ii. Matter and energy—Properties of matter; physical changes; and energy
transformation
iii. Structures and mechanisms—Pulleys, gears, and simple machines; force and transfer
of motion
iv. Earth and space—Types and characteristics of soil; water cycle and precipitation;
forms and sources of energy; and Earth’s rotation and planetary cycles
Eighth grade science students across the country are expected to develop knowledge and skills
in:
i. Life science—Habitats; species; population; adaptations; taxonomy; introductory
genetics; reproduction; contraception; cellular studies; photosynthesis; microscopic
studies, osmosis and diffusion
ii. Matter and energy—Properties of materials; mass, volume and temperature;
physical/chemical change; acidity or basicity; conservation of matter; mixtures and
solutions; periodic table of elements, atoms, and molecules
iii. Structures and mechanisms—Raw materials; scales and schemas; systems; energy
transformation; simple machines (e.g. force, movement, engineering)
iv. Earth and space—Earth’s core and types of sediment and minerals; Earth’s
atmosphere and air; erosion; earthquakes; wind; the water cycle; renewable energy;
gravity, solar system, and space studies; seasons; and eclipses
Please also note that in the majority of English speaking jurisdictions, the French language
curriculum is developed, implemented, and revised in parallel with the English language
curriculum.