American Reacts to Canada's Educational System

As an American I know little to nothing about how the Canadian educational system actually works, and how it compares to America. That is why I am very excited today to learn all about the fundamentals or Canadian education. If you enjoyed the video feel free to leave a comment, like, or subscribe for more!

[@janemaskell4038]

One BIG difference: Canada doesn't have "poor" schools and "rich" schools. The provincial government pays for the schools through taxes and distributes the money equally to the school districts (depending on size, number of students, etc.) so you can live in a poor district and still get the same quality education as other places in Canada.

[@michaelsims1160]

It has rich programs and poor programs though. Professional Graduate programs at the best schools like MBA Medicine Law mostly in Ontario are all well over a hundred thousand just for tuition.

[@brendatruant7404]

Jane, That is a really good point! I am Canadian but worked in Canada and the US. I was shocked at how in the Chicago area money was distributed to schools. That was also true in NYC. I would also add that the majority of teachers in the US are paid far too little. Not surprising the US ranks so low on a global scale.

[@n1co2017]

ah you see wrong i go to a lets say rather expensive private school in Quebec and i have friends at a local public school one of them is sec. 5 i am sec. 4 in the non advanced math program i learnt some stuff at the beginning of this year that they are learning now passed half of the year, some teachers such as in french said we were learning some cégep level french in sec. 3 and english we have always been 1 year ahead of the grade i am finishing sec. 5 french in sec. 4 and we were doing 200 word writing essays in 6th grade while my sister in 6th grade at a public school wince she didn't get into my school was still learning the alphabets. so yes there is a difference. and also the teachers generally here are far more energetic and enthusiastic which makes you want to learn more than at the public school where they said most of them sound like robots and are extremely boring to listen to.

[@michaelsims1160]

@@n1co2017 Obviously your not studying English.

[@n1co2017]

@@michaelsims1160 what do you mean by that? my school's advanced english which is what i have is the same level as in Ontario.

[@catherinebeaudoin311]

Cegep exists because in Quebec, secondary school (your grades 7 to 12) is only 5 years. Cegep is like a mix between your senior year and prep school for University, where most Bachelor's degrees are 3 years.

[@valeriemcdonald440]

That's the way Ontario used to be. OAC after grade 12 but before college/university

[@baileydombroskie3046]

I barely understood halfofwat u saidas in my neck of the woods highschool is grade 9-12 and I’ve never heard of prep school, that is irl, outside of anime. I’ve heard prep school be mentioned a few times in anime that r based in Japan but that’s it.

[@Le3eFrereBrunet]

@tyrell alexander there is no 7th grade in Quebec

[@Le3eFrereBrunet]

Add that Cegep either has a « professional » curriculum (3 years) or 2 years post-secondary/ university prep…

[@lysem4392]

​​@@baileydombroskie3046 I think prep school is basically private high school, the sort of high school that picks the students it will accept with the expectation they will go on to university. There are dozens of them throughout Québec, and I would assume the same is true all around Canada.

[@djdissi]

Grew up in Montreal. The province of Quebec is almost a completely different country. Tyler, The reason for CEGEP is that our secondary (HS) schooling is crammed into fewer years, graduating in grade 11. Actually, taking off that last year in HS was specifically to bring cegep into the fold, which began in the 70s. CEGEP is free, just like primary and secondary, but it gives you the opportunity to prepare for university/college (post-secondary) in a sort of mock university setting, while giving you grounds to explore different fields in a more in-depth way, without the pressure of having yet to decide on a long-term commitment. Realistically, many kids don't know their direction yet, let alone careers, as there is so much more out there than what HS can possibly expose you to, so this way, you can try things out before deciding on a more rooted, more expensive commitment later in college or uni.

[@anne12876]

Just some corrections. CEGEP isn’t free, but really really cheap (about 400$ per semester). Plus, our HS isn’t cramped in 5 years. What students learn in CEGEP is what they would have learned in 12 grade or during their first year in university in the ROC or in the US. That’s why students from the ROC and US have to do an extra year when they attend to a QC university. IMO, I really like the concept of CEGEP. When you’re 18-19 yo, you’re too old for the high school system. You’re legally an adult but you’re not mature enough yet. The CEGEP gives a smoother transition. You can test yourself in a more secure environment. You can do mistakes, change career and learn who you are without too much damages. So, you arrive at university more prepared and with a better understanding of who you are and what you want.

[@laurencebastien-dionne218]

I wouldn't say Cegep is free, but it is pretty cheap.

[@SilviaZed]

I'm also from Montreal. CEGEPs are very cheap but very good quality. Another detail from Quebec, Immigrants can't choose schools in English until CEGEP. Quebec law to protect the French language. The consenquence of this is that the majority of anglophones and immigrants in Quebec are at least bilingual (English and French) but most francophones only speak French.

[@johnvermette9466]

​@@SilviaZed I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I was also born and raised in Montreal, now living in Montmagny, and I've traveled around the province, and I can say for certain (because I tested it myself) that around 70% to 80% of Quebecers are bilingual! Much love and respect my human sister!

[@qray4851]

There are some people in Canada who wish Quebec to be its own country. That’s treason talk. The English and French fought over the land once. The French lost….PERIOD. If anything, that land called Quebec should go back to its rightful keepers. The natives. Hard to watch two others fight over what belongs to you. If it sound f*cked up…that’s because it is!

[@karlsloman5320]

For myself, being from Ontario and going through the "old" system. I did Kindergarten, then grades 1-8 for primary school, grades 9-13 for high school (grade 13 was awesome because it was essentially 1st year university without the tuition), then I went for 3 years to University (paid for by the Canadian Army), and after that, 2 years to college (for my own interest). Now I am looking at going back to do a PHd in Music. All in all Canada's education system is excellent! After leaving university, I could not wait to go back! Cheers

[@sandrasnow-balvert7766]

love that for you hun I wasn't able to do higher education myself but if you can do it enjoy yourself :D

[@demos456]

Glad you've had a great time in your studies. Also music is an awesome choice for PhD. As for myself I'm currently 34 and I have finished CEGEP once in multimedia (basically web design and programming, but I was an idiot and didn't do anything with it...) and now I'm back for electrical and automation studies. I can honestly say this has been the best decision I've made in the last decade as I'm having tons of fun and meeting some very interesting people as well despite doing about 5 hours of commute per day in public transport and having social anxiety.

[@amandac23]

Its mandatory to be enrolled in public/private or homeschool at age 6. This means that while junior and senior kindergarten are available, you do not *have* to enroll your child. You can choose to keep them home until grade 1.

[@aquaticaquariums6979]

i went to kindergarden at 4, i didnt have to go to school? damn

[@SamanthaScreem]

​@@aquaticaquariums6979 I started when I was 3

[@tinapetrovicz9741]

@@SamanthaScreem So did my daughter. Graduating at 17 and going to post-secondary can be a liitle rough though socially, when most of your friends are legal drinking age and can go to clubs.

[@sandrasnow-balvert7766]

at 5 I had to take a test to see if I could get into kindergarten and I think my mom was more nervous than I was about the test :D

[@CharleneWoelk]

Not all places have a pre-k or if parents have to drive and pick up the kid for a half day it's not always feasible. Also the age cut off for kindergarten is 5 by October 1st. So if a kid turns 5 after that but before the end of the year they will end up being 6 or turning 6 when they start kindergarten.

[@DanielleSRussell]

Its helpful to understand that part of the reason that tuition rates are so low, is because University and College is subsidized by the government, so even Post-Secondary education is public education.

[@sandrasnow-balvert7766]

and the loan system is also government funded so it's only a 2% interest rate. Compare that to the US and it's a hell of a lot better

[@AdamDavid]

In Ontario, we used to have grade 13, also known as OAC (Ontario Academic Credit) it provided advanced level education to prepare students for university. It was phased out in 2003, making the Grade 9 class of 1998 the last group of students that could attend OAC. This also resulted in the "Double Cohort" in 2003, where Double the number of students graduated at the same time, making it very difficult for students to get into colleges or university. Most of the people I knew from high school ended up in foreign universities. The more you know!

[@LLearners]

I remember that since I was part of the older double cohort crowd haha... My younger cousin and I both ended up graduating together and getting into the same college.

[@sandrasnow-balvert7766]

damn I didn't know that I feel sorry for those students OAC helped out so many kids to get to their dream universities. :(

[@Jay-D92]

I heard a while ago that Grade 13 is being brought back, but will be optional. Not sure when though.

[@LivvyAlexW]

Yes. My sister graduated that year and didn’t get into the uni she applied to and wanted to go to. She got into the umbrella uni in my hometown and transferred her credits

[@howlingbeast3x6]

Cegep is honestly the best system. You are more specialised than in high school but not as specialised as university. For example, as a biologist, my cegep program was called natural sciences and I learned physics, math, chemistry, geology, biology, etc. This is all at first year university level. It allows for people to test different subjects before choosing what to do in university

[@jawstrock2215]

I had optional biology, I left after 3 classes cause it was way too much for me :D But I appreciated the option.

[@ljh5141]

Absolutely! I am so glad that I had had CEGEP, Vanier, yeah! Great education opportunities, that I I am grateful for to this day. So proud to be Canadian. Yes, I did have over a year of experiencing the US school system, by living there, and going to school there...part of a great learning experience. Going to school in the US, helped to make me appreciate the Canadian Educational System. 😊👍

[@ugojlachapelle]

Cégep is AWESOME compared to everything I've seen elsewhere.

[@larryking4519]

Je suis d'accord, i agree

[@annecaminer2988]

I moved to Ontario from Montreal after grade 7 and to this day I wish I had been able to stay and attende CEGEP, or that they had it in Ontario. Same goes for sport school

[@conradmarcotte6749]

In Quebec we have no grade 12, we graduate high school after grade 11 and then have an intermediary step that is the CEGEP system, either a technical degree (like a college) or a pre-university program which prepares you and in transferable for your bachelors.

[@alaintoutant4646]

In QUEBEC, GEGEP (lasting 2-3 years after 11th grade) is essentially free and leads either to the workplace (3 year technical programs) or to further studies at a university (2 year theoretical programs). In my experience, CEGEP acted as a filter and an inexpensive opportunity for young people to decide on their career. At 18-19 years old, it is often difficult to commit to a path without knowing enough about what will really be required of you. There were a lot of student changing programs or discipline during their CEGEP period (sometimes extending their time there by multiple years) after discovering that they didn't really like a field of study or weren't cut out for it. Making the same moves at a university would have been a more costly decision. I'm guessing this allows for more competent people in each field because they are more likely to end up where they're good at.

[@rockygonnadz74]

Nova Scotia has the highest number of universities per capita than any province/territory. Even smaller communities like Wolfville and Antigonish are home to world-class institutions.

[@murrayc9615]

And, not surprisingly, we also have the highest number of pubs and bars in university towns

[@rockygonnadz74]

@@murrayc9615 👍😃👍

[@WaiferThyme]

Acadia for the win!

[@rockygonnadz74]

@@bgriffiths1840 You're obviously severely traumatized. I sincerely hope you get some therapy. Cheers!

[@kenevans6565]

In Alberta when i graduated, a 2nd language was required, french was mandatory for a few early years (i remember 4-6), my high school offered french, japanese, spanish, and cree.

[@rockygonnadz74]

Cree, seriously? I would give anything to have been able to take a First Nations language when I was in school. Our only options were French, Spanish, German and Latin. I love languages and currently learning ASL on-line.

[@Kreepie11]

Jeeze your schools had selection! We had French or Mohawk. Pick one. And even then, I remember the Mohawk program being new and exciting because we were right near a reserve.

[@kenevans6565]

@@Kreepie11 we only had the japanese and spanish through video conference, they were basically shared classes across the district.

[@nuwang2381]

really I graduated last year and the only real requirement I remeber is gym and calm. the rest where like core/option related courses needed to get your diploma

[@vcool122]

geez. In Quebec it's only french (obviously) and mandatory english al the way through secondary school and even in CEGEP. I've seen some school offer optional spanish, but nothing more.

[@micshark264]

In Québec, the school system is : Pré-maternelle (4-5 yo) (not obligated) maternelle (5-6 yo) First year - sixth year of primary (6-12 yo) Secondary 1 - secondary 5 (12-17 yo) And after that you can choose beetween : DEP : Your learn only about your futur job (time can depend), Technic at Cegep: Your learn about your job + other classes (3 years) or Pre-university at cegep : many different classes that prepare you to university (2 years) University : like USA but 1 years less to do (because we start at 19 yo)

[@errollleggo447]

I went to Cegep de la Gaspesie et des iles. We had some fun extra courses, sailing, canoeing, winter camping.

[@stereonacht2247]

J'aurais aimé avoir. ce genre de cours! Les cours d'éducation physique à Bois-de-Boulougne étaient beaucoup plus ordinaires. Mais bon, c'est là que j'ai fait mon cours d'auto-défense. Je ne sais pas si je pourrais encore faire les roulades... 😁

[@TheJimprez]

Yeah. There are TWO different education systems in this country. The Quebec one, and the rest of Canada's. In Quebec, you go to grade school from grade 1 to 6. Then high school is from secondary 1 to 5. So we graduate high school after grade 11, instead of grade 12. In secondary 3, you can choose to switch to a DEP program that gives you training in a bunch of blue collar, and secretarial or office professions, but also some pretty high paying jobs, like mine workers, alloy welders and heavy machinery mechanics... After high schools, we have two choices... They both happen at the CEGEP level, which serves two different purposes. The main one is to provide fully trained workers in various technical fields. From maritime surface officer, to airline pilot, to computer programmer, registered nurses and just about every technical degree you can think of... Those are 3 year programs and you get out with a diploma and usually, a pretty good job. The second path is pre-university. Think of it as grade 12 and the first year of university combined. You can choose between sciences, humanities or some other choices (I'M out of the loop by now)... The trade-off is that our University degrees are mostly 3 years. It comes out the same in the end. The BIG difference between Quebec and the rest of Canada is the tuition cost of those career degrees and university. - The DEP or High School level stuff is basically free, with a few hundred $ for some courses that need equipment (like a set of knives for chef school). - The CEGEP level is a few hundred $ a year. Plus your books and equipment. - University is about 2000$ per semester (Laval U.) in 2023. So basically 4000$ per year Canadian for locals. AND we get government-secured loans at low interest that only start being paid off AFTER you get all of school for good. Plus lots of easy to get bursaries that never have to be repaid, most of them for low income students. not just for high achievers. The province calls its own political system and society a PROVIDENCE STATE. So it's the most "socialized" Capitalism (in the best ways) in North America. Canada is ALL nice, but this place is special for the care it gives its citizens. With our taxes, bien entendus. BTW: University and trade school tuitions are pretty high (relatively, but NOTHING like the USA) in other provinces, and we pay extra if we are from out of province (but if you stay for three months in one, you get residency, their health card, and access to all of the provincial rates and services). The same free welding diploma in Quebec, is 10,000$ in BC. So it IS important to choose where you study, and maybe move there 3 months BEFORE applying for school, to get LOCAL resident fare. Most Canadians are NOT aware of these little facts. Just like most don't get that provincial health insurance cards are NOT all accepted in other provinces and that we need private health insurance when we travel within our own country. That 3 month residency period, is pretty important to understand. Especially if you are moving for 4 years and having to pay 2X the tuition by keeping your original residency... It's not like a passport, you just move back to your original province if you want to, and get that residency again within 3 months, it's NOT irreversible.

[@maryseflore7028]

Excellent and complete description of Quebec's system! I'll give you an A+! (from a fellow Laval U. graduate)

[@darcymartin7608]

In Manitoba and I assume other Provinces, we also have Immersion Schools where all classes are taught in a specific language. In Winnipeg, we have French, Ukrainian and Tagalog (Filipino) Immersion Schools (from Grades 1 - 12).

[@awfan221]

Yep we have that in Ontario too. French immersion schools everywhere, especially near Ottawa. I made the mistake of going into English immersion, I regret that. Those who go into French immersion have alot less competition going into the workforce, especially those applying from University to a government job

[@HappyGirl4666]

Kindergarten isn’t mandatory but most Canadian kids go. French is normally taught starting in grade 4. I went to school in 3 different provinces.

[@ll7868]

My schools had French from grade 1-12, 1-6 was pretty basic stuff, like what you would see on children's tv shows like Sesame Street's Canadian Edition. Grade 7-12 was optional, I took it because it was an easy A.

[@HappyGirl4666]

@@ll7868 I went to grade school in the 70’s and graduated high school in 85 so it might be different now . I took French in first year university as well.

[@maryseflore7028]

In Quebec, English is taught starting in first grade in French schools. Kids are bilingual when they finish high school. It wasn't always like that, though. In the 1980's, English started in grade 4 as well. And not many students came out of high school bilingual. The few extra years they have now make an incredible difference in actual mastery of a second language.

[@LivvyAlexW]

In Ontario we started French in grade 1. Ending in grade 9.

[@HappyGirl4666]

@@LivvyAlexW depends on when you started school. I started school in 1972. I started school in BC. By grade 3 I was in Alberta and then back to BC for 5 and 6. I did grade 7 in Ontario. 8-10 in BC , 11-12 in Alberta and 13 in Ontario and then University in Ontario. When I started school French didn’t start until grade 4. I also took French from grade 4 to 13 and into University. I also took German for 4 years of Highschool and Latin in first year University as well as French.

[@apersonwithsomeinternet9225]

just to clear up some stuff: where im from (suburban town an hour away from toronto) we just have preschool (optional), elementary schools (k-8) high schools (9-12) and a university. in larger cities there are middle schools (7-8) because there are more students in a place like toronto. the french part of the curriculum is required from grade 4-9, then it becomes optional for the rest of high school

[@someguy9046]

2 things to help out: 1. in Canada "college" would be the equivalent to community college or trade school in the US whereas university is the same either side of the border, and 2. yes almost everywhere in Canada there is required French classes starting at about grade 4 until grade 9 where it becomes optional

[@Joncom98]

French is definitely not required everywhere

[@kai-pw8hi]

@@Joncom98 required in ontario AFAIK

[@Joncom98]

@@kai-pw8hi maybe New Brunswick as well but I don’t think anywhere else

[@RodRuth]

To offer a little more clarity, refering to a community college in Canada as an equivelent "Trade school" in the US, is most definately incorrect, and inaccurate. Although you can learn a trade in community college, they also provide education in many professions outside of a sterotypical trade. To provide a couple examples, a person can become a Registered Nurse, an Accountant, and in Ontario, a person can be educated as a Paralegal, which has the equivelent education of law school, and that of a lawyer. There are many other examples outside of stereotypical trades....

[@nuwang2381]

I live in alberta and I never learnt a lick of french, classes as french where offered as options in highschool but aside from that absolutely no french

[@oh7henry]

In B.C., French was mandatory from grade 4 up to grade 8. It was offered as optional up to grade 12. French Immersion was also available. In my hometown there was an entire school dedicated to teach in only french.

[@alexrobi1176]

In Nova Scotia French is a taught subject from grades 4-9 that everyone takes, but all schools offer a full French immersion program from grades 7-12. Some elementary schools offer French immersion from the beginning to teach you French (which I took) but not all. There is also a seperate Acadian school board for people who speak French at home and want a French education.

[@Jema25]

As a BC resident, french is taught in elementary school starting at about grade 4, but the quality varies widely. I had a native french speaker as a teacher so we learned more, my kids didn’t have that benefit and their french lessons were very superficial. We do have immersion classes if french is important to you.

[@julsh9776]

There are french public schools as well in BC but there's are admission requirements.

[@vcool122]

Yeah, that's kinda shame. In Quebec, english classes are taken seriously. Would be nice if French would be taught the same way in other provinces. Obviously a lot of people aren't bilingual in the slightest when they finish secondary school, but they can deal with going in english speaking places.

[@melissastory1993]

I went to a somewhat bilingual school in BC and we started French right away. I was reading books in French in grade 1 haha. We also had most of our school stuff in French and English because we had both tracks, so some students were learning 99% in French. My younger brother did French immersion for a few years and they weren’t even allowed to go to the bathroom without asking in French… in kindergarten. We also lived near a Navy base and were close to a French only school, so it was a little different. We had a much larger French influence than I’ve experienced in other cities in BC.

[@hawksnowwhite969]

In Ontario, French is taken seriously.@@vcool122

[@michelleikoma2953]

We all learn some French. It varies from province to province, but in BC, it is part of the curriculum and required, from Grade 5 to 8. In grade 9 you can switch to a different additional language, but to graduate, you need at least a grade 11 additional language. In BC, mostly the system is Elementary from Gr. K to 7, and High school Gr. 8-12. OR Elementary Gr K to 5, Middle Gr 6 to 8, Secondary Gr 9-12 depending on the school district and demographics in an area.

[@LiqdPT]

When I was in school in BC (grad 93), French was mandatory grade 5-9. You could graduate with that, but universities required a grade 11 language, so it was just easier to take French 10 & 11 than switch languages.

[@masterchiefburgess]

Another nuance you may have missed @Tyler. Many of the first and second year university courses are also offered at the colleges, whereas the upper level (3rd & 4th yr) courses usually are not. Really, it's those courses that earn you a degree, versus getting a diploma from the college. Its also why you can transfer from a college to a university and get credit for some or all of the courses you took at the college. Many students go this route, because enrolling in the college for your first 2 years before transferring to university, is less expensive that enrolling at university for the same two years.

[@patmillett8056]

I'm a teacher in New Brunswick, where our public school system starts at K (age 4-5), grades1-5 in an elementary school. Next is Middle School gr6-8, then High School gr 9-12. Students are required to attend school from age 5-18. Some students choose to not attend school and no one is going to drag them in. There are also the options to home school or attend private schools ($$$).

[@cherrypickerguitars]

I have both, a college diploma and a university degree. My college experience was at George Brown College, in Toronto, where I received a diploma in Restaurant and Hotel Management (pre-computer days) I did this in 2 years beginning when I was 18. At 23, I went “back” to school at the University of Calgary, and achieved a computer technologist degree, graduating in 1984. Both played a big role in my life. For 17 years I worked for IBM, Xerox, then my own company. At 41, I bought a Blues Club, and used my original education in running a successful “music club”. My bar business made me waaaay more money than my electronics education ever did! But, now at 66 years old, my pensions from my computer career, is what’s “floating my retirement boat”. Life is weird. Peace

[@nuwang2381]

ayyyyyy UoC you still live in calg?

[@mrnobody3161]

Yep.

[@colleenwoodhead6309]

In regards to learning French, it varies/changes over time and is also based on the provincial rules. I grew up in Quebec and went to an English school. Starting in kindergarten, I had French class. In grade one through high school I had one French class and at least one other credit in French (geography, biology, etc.) Then, in Ontario (I moved there at 15) it was mandatory to have at least 2 French credits during grade 9-12.

[@loriboivin1249]

From Nova Scotia. Some high schools also offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) program which adheres to an international educational standard, beyond the provincial requirements. Students with high marks can receive university credits for those courses.

[@ZacharyJPearse]

Back in the day in Ontario we had grade 13 which was called OAC “Ontario Academic Credit”. If you were going to college you could graduate with just grade twelve but to go to university you needed a minimum of 6 OAC credits. This additional grade ended in 2003

[@RosemaryAmey]

I grew up near Ottawa, and we started learning French in kindergarten, and I think it was mandatory through grade 9. I continued taking French all the way through grade 13 (I was in the last year of Ontario students to have grade 13).

[@chrisischeese]

My sister lives near Ottawa and my niece just started kindergarten in the fall and is already learning French. My sisters and I didn't start until grade 4 in the GTA.

[@stephaniec9539]

I'm in kingston and my kids have had french since jk as did I

[@vcool122]

Being Quebec neighbour, I can understand why Ottawa is the only province with mandatory french. As is english mandatory in Quebec.

[@prophetisaiah08]

The terms concerning the levels of public education can vary from province to province, but the overall layout is mostly the same. Where I grew up in Newfoundland, we had Primary for grades 1-3, Elementary for grades 4-6, Junior High for grades 7-9, and Senior High for grades 10-12. Most public school systems also offer optional kindergarten programs that a LOT of people take advantage of for their kids. Public schools are held to a high standard for the most part, and it's private schools that are usually pressed to keep up to national and provincial standards. Generally, you don't send kids to private schools to get a better education than public schools in Canada, because the public schools are mostly held to a pretty high federal standard. Private schools are usually just more specialized than public schools (like religious schools or technical schools). Post-secondary education in Canada isn't free, and the majority of students need to get student loans to afford to go, but it isn't as wildly expensive as it is in the US. As a result, Canada's student debt crisis isn't as severe as what's going on in the US, but it is still a problem; especially given how such a large percentage of our population has at least some post-secondary education, and therefore some amount of student debt. Basically, compared to the US, Canadians with student debt have less debt on average, but a higher percentage of the population is carrying at least some student debt.

[@rko1095]

I grew up in Ontario in the 60's and 70's where the school system was kindergarten to grade 8 as Elementary school and grade 9 to 13 for High School. My parents moved to Alberta in the late 70's when I just finished Grade 7. Alberta's schools system is Elementary School as kindergarten to grade 6, Junior High as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High as grades 10 to 12. I had a hard time adjusting to the Alberta system at first as I went from a single classroom setting to a multi-classroom setting (one class room per subject) when all the kids around me knew exactly what was going on.

[@Kwolf1]

It still is kindergarten to grade 8 for Catholic schools and there’s only middle school (grade 7 and 8) for public schools.

[@Samaelle73]

In Quebec, (French education system) we also have preschool at 4yo, not mandatory. Kindergarden at 5yo, recently mandatory. Elementary school from Grade 1 to 6 and starts learning english in grade 4 (6 to 12 yo.) High school from 1 to 5 (13 to 18 yo.). When finishing High School we receive a Diploma and from grade 3 we can take technical courses to get a Technical Diploma. After this, depending what you want to do, you can go to CEGEP for 2 years and continue your education at University. You could also take a technical course for 3 years. At the end of either you receive a College Education Diploma. Each CEGEP offers and Universities offers more than 1 curriculum and we really have plenty of choices.

[@pvdogs2]

Didn't you recently react to a video on Canada's Educational System?

[@rdjftw2531]

He's actually reacted to three others over the last five months.

[@sherip9854]

Albertan here. Pre school is optional. All schools have kindergarten but it’s not graded with an official report card. We also have history, economics and geography combined into 1 class. Social studies. The younger kids learn about Canada and it’s basic history but Jr high is talking more about history and how government works. High school world wars etc. our maths are combined as well. Junior high math is hard but in high school it branches off into trade school math( college) basic math and advanced math - usually kids looking to get into university science programs need this.

[@nuwang2381]

I am pretty sure JH math was really easy then highschool kicks ya in the ass math wise but the math cirriculum in alberta has changed a decent amount lol

[@SpoonieEtte]

Born and raised Canadian here and I went through school in the 90s to early 2000s. As per my experience, elementary was Kindergarten to grade 6 (or sixth grade, the terms can be used interchangeably). "Secondary school" was actually called Jr. High and was grade 7-9 and high school was grades 10-12, with an optional grade 13 if you were missing any credits/classes needed to be able to graduate.

[@matthewlafrance8817]

Grew up in Alberta. French was optional from grade 4-12. However, from grade 7-12 you can also choose to move away from French and take other languages. Depending on what school you’re going to you can learn many different languages. German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Ukrainian… So no, French isn’t mandatory. That said, I took French from 4-11 (skipping French 10 because I was pretty good at it). Anyways, each Province is different for sure

[@vcool122]

While english is mandatory for Quebec students.

[@anthonyrosique7965]

20:58 I didn’t know that language teaching varied that way between states! My mother tongues are both French and Spanish, we speak these at home (my dad taught me Spanish since I was born and at the same time, my mom taught me French). I’m so grateful of Quebec’s education system since I was first introduced to English class in grade 1, so, at age 6. I’m 19 now and I’m currently attending a public CÉGEP and there has not been a year without English in my school education journey. I can now proudly say that I’m fluent in English language, culture and all what is related to it, pretty much. 13 years of serious learning truly delivers, especially when it’s in school! My parents continue to both make me learn about my two cultures, Quebec and Mexico whereas the school system teaches me English and Canadian culture on its own (my parents haven’t taught me anything, just school and the internet!)

[@lucforand8527]

In Canada English or French is always available. Other languages may be available starting in grade 9. It should be noted that in the territories, local indigenous languages will also be available and may even be the main language of instruction in elementary school.

[@KillerManzarek]

A school year in Canada is from September 20 to September 19. You have to be 5 years old by Sept.19 to start Grade 1 in Elementary School the next day. If you are born on Sept.20, you have to wait another year. That's why they say school is mandatory from age 6.

[@SarahSeeley]

I had a lot of different experiences with my schooling. So I did preschool at the age of 2, it was included in my daycare, and I went until I was 5. Because I was born October 23 I couldn't start public school until I was 5 and turned 6 that year, but some students can start at 4 as long as you turn 5 by October 21st of the school year. My elementary was kindergarten grade 0- grade 6. My middle school was grade 7 and 8, and My high-school was grade 9-12. And in high-school was where the fun starts, in grade 11 I was hurt in a car accident and couldn't attend school, so the school system paid for home schooling. This consisted of a tutor picking up my class work from my teacher and spending 2 hours teaching me each week. And I would do the schoolwork on my own. This lasted for about 4 months until I was healthy enough to go back to school. Than I finished my grade 11 year at the high-school. I chose to graduate early so I could gain work experience and earn money while I figured out what I wanted to go to uni or collage for, so I was able to to go a high-school called BFEC which is also a public school, but they have 4 semesters and 2 classes in each semester, so I could take my grade 12 math and English and be done with school. After graduating and taking a year and 3/4 off of public school I tried uni for a 4 year business degree in home appraisals, because if covid it was all online and I couldn't do it, so I dropped out, and now I go to collage NSCC (Nova Scotia Community College) to become an AME (Aircraft Maintenance Engineer).

[@lysem4392]

Best of luck to you, Sarah.

[@theirishlasskicker506]

In New Brunswick, we do have community college (like I went to for Business), but there are other smaller colleges too. We call "Secondary School" by "High School" ... when you're 6 and go into grade 1, you have the option of French Immersion (I did that - most classes are in French) and English, then when you hit "Junior High" (now "middle school"), there is the option of "Late Immersion", where you start taking most courses in just French.

[@Renkk17]

Most schools teach French, but you can also choose to learn Ukrainian, German.....and if you come from another country or you know how to speak, read and write in a different language you can get extra credits in high school for taking the test!

[@JUSTINANDCHRISTINA]

Quebec school system starts with optional pre-Kindergarten at 4, then mandatory primary school from kindergarten at 5 or 6 years of age up to Grade 6. After which we go to Secondary or High School from grade 7 to 11. After which you can either go to Cegep for 2 or 3 years or University for 3 to 7 years

[@cosmickid1794]

"Thirteen provinces and three territories", funny opening line for an Educational System video............yes, I know what he meant, but the correct phrase would be "Ten provinces and 3 Territories"...........

[@rockygonnadz74]

The narrator didn't say "Thirteen provinces and three territories". He said "Thirteen provinces and territories". I know what he meant because I know what he actually said, lol!

[@cosmickid1794]

@@rockygonnadz74 it's still wrong, in fact, that's worse

[@rockygonnadz74]

@@cosmickid1794 It's not wrong, so how is it worse? 😅

[@cosmickid1794]

@@rockygonnadz74 I know ten provinces, what are the other 3??????????

[@rockygonnadz74]

@@cosmickid1794 LOL, you're deliberately ignoring the territories. You see, an educated person understands that the narrator is saying that there are a TOTAL OF thirteen provinces and territories. The narrator says "EACH OF Canada's thirteen provinces and territories.........". You really need to work on your comprehension, lol!

[@Scotian169]

In Nova Scotia, you can attend optional preschool from 2-4 years old then when you are four, there is optional “pre-primary.” Elementary school is from Primary to grade 6. Also, Primary (kindergarten) is mandatory. Junior high is grades 7-9. High school grades 10-12. You pick courses starting in grade 10. French is compulsory from grades 4-9 and optional in high school. If you do not have french as your first language, you can do French immersion starting in later elementary or junior high and graduating with a bilingual certificate if you meet the requirements. Post-secondary is pretty much the same as elsewhere.

[@Warhawk9012]

It seems to be different all over, even in the same province and region. My schooling in Surrey, BC was K-7 (elementary) then 8-12 (secondary.) However, the nearby Langley & Coquitlam School Districts have Middle Schools that teach Grades 6-8. My brother went to a "Junior Secondary" in Surrey that taught grades 8-10 from 1997 to 2000 (the school closed down in 2002 and was replaced by a full high school after the city decided that all Surrey secondary schools be 8-12.)

[@25Soupy]

I know right? Not only does each province have a different school system even school districts vary. I was born in Toronto and in my school district there was jr. kindergarten and sr. kindergarten. Which I assume jr. kindergarten would be the same as pre-school everywhere else and it was jr.K - 5. Then middle school was 6-8 and secondary was 9-12 & 13 if you wanted to attend university and the name was changed from grade 13 to OAC (Ontario Academic Credits) in 1988. We didn't have French until middle school but many schools in Toronto had French from grade 1. When I moved just north of Toronto there was no middle school or jr. kindergarten. Elementary was K-8 and no French until grade 7 and mandatory to grade 9 (all of Ont.). And you could not apply for University in Ontario unless you took advanced classes in high school and received minimum 6 classes (called credits) in grade 13 (now called OAC). I moved to Vancouver and went to Capilano College for 2 years than transfer to UBC, which wouldn't even be an option in the Ontario school system.

[@clovers2618]

I went to school in North Van and my schools were K-7 and 8-12 as well, whereas my husband went to a middle school b/c he grew up in Coquitlam.

[@donnaclark898]

As a Canadian we learn French for a few years, usually in middle school, grades 7 to 9. Depending on your community you can do French immersion. So all your classes are done in French. This will start in about grade 5, and run through grade 12. Love your videos. I would love to see you come to Canada and explore.

[@LivvyAlexW]

We learnt French from gr 1-9 in Ontario

[@mrnobody3161]

Grew up in Alberta. My wife is a teacher. She has 7 years of university with bachelor degrees in fine art and education as well as her previous careers which were affiliated with education. In Alberta elementary school is grades 1 to 6. Junior high school, grades 7 to 9, Senior high school, grades 10 to 12. The descriptions are quite different. We still have the same definitive college and university descriptions.

[@khryztophfer]

In Ontario, you have the option of going to preschool - junior kindergarten (or JK), from age 4, and senior kindergarten (or SK), from age 5. Then you go to grade one at age 6. We called it “primary school” up until grade 7. Grade 7/8 was called middle school - and some schools only catered to those grades. Then, grades 9-12 were high school. When I was in high school, in the 90s, they had what was called OAC (Ontario Academic Credit), or grade 13. It was similar in a way to Quebec’s CEGEP transition. At one point you needed OAC credits on your transcript to be accepted into most universities. They have since done away with the OAC level in high schools in Ontario. After high school, you have your post-secondary education; college or university. My 2 year college program, subsidised by government, cost me $1,200 per semester, or $2,400 per year. Books and incidental fees were extra. I was also able to qualify for government student loans of $12,000/year to cover the cost of tuition plus living expenses. When I went to university it was slightly more expensive ($1,600/semester), but again I got student loan funding. I also qualified for a student grant of $3,000 each year, which was part of my loan amount, but that I did not have to repay. So, definitely much more affordable than American colleges. Both systems are pretty much identical, just with different names and divisions. If you want to be confused, look at the British education, where “public schools” are more prestigious, but you have to pay fees ranging from £10,000 - £25,000 per year, and “state schools” are free. Then there are private schools, with even higher fees, 6th form colleges, and THEN university. Confusing as heck for us here in North America.

[@melturgeon1]

Québec dont have a grade 12 that is why you need to go to a cégep so that you are on the same page as the rest of the University students that has a grade 12 and some places like Ontario have a grade 13

[@000snow000]

There hasn't been a grade 13 in Ontario since like 20 years ago

[@melturgeon1]

@@000snow000 thanks for the info on most of the vidéos i see they talk about grade 13 in Ontario

[@rockygonnadz74]

@@melturgeon1 I wonder how old some of these videos actually are. I graduated from grade 13 in Ontario back in 1975. Grade 13 was replaced with the Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) in 1984, but that was phased out in 2003. Bonne journée!

[@asomelord]

If you're interested... yes, there are quite a lot of differences between provincial education I had to take an equivalency test because my math requirement from New Brunswick wasn't seen as equivalent to math in Alberta for my college course. I have a vague understanding of the differences between NB and AB, but it seems like high school here in Alberta starts in grade 10 (it's grade 9 in Newbrunswick) and you get to pick your courses immediately (we only picked our courses in 11 and 12 in NB). The classes are all named differently. For NB, our classes were named based on our grade and difficulty level. So the hardest grade 12 math course would be Math 12-1, and the easiest is Math 12-3. Alberta organized it by year, so for example, I believe the equivalent would be Math 30-1 (3rd year, level 1) In NB my schools were Elementary (Kindergarten-G6) and High School (G7-G12), however that was primarily because it was a rural school. I have family who lived in larger cities and I believe they had a separate middle school (G6-G8). For me, French class was mandatory every year between G1-G10, there was also an optional French immersion program where all subjects excluding Language Arts (English) were taught in French. I don't know the specifics, but I don't believe that was the case here. We also had an optional second language option of Micmac (which I didn't take), however that may have been because of our close proximity to a reserve

[@fleecystheking]

Mandatory is exactly that, mandatory. In Quebec, kids have to attend primary and secondary schools. Dropouts are assigned social workers to get them back in the system as much as possible.

[@beeetle8055]

Live in Manitoba, was in the French immersion program (kindergarten and 1-12) and received a bilingual high school diploma. math science art gym Etc. Were all taught in french, we had advanced french language classes and English language classes as well. my English class friends had manditory basic French from 4-6 Manitoba has the second highest french population in Canada as many French immigrated to the area. There is a large population called the Métis, they are descendants of the French and Cree peoples and have their own language and culture. They have historically and still to this day had a huge impact on the provinces legislation, culture and history. I seriously recommend doing a deep dive into the founding of Manitoba and the Métis people, look up Louis Riel. He was a basically our founding father and we have a bunch of holidays surrounding the events that occurred in his life. I think you would enjoy it, there’s tones of cools things in Manitoba.

[@beeetle8055]

we also have vocational programs/centres that are sort of like school, it’s free and there for adults who want to develop better basic career and life skills. In my home town We have an independent study type school for teens and young adults who didn’t work well in the normal school system or had to work jobs, or come into town from the reserves. They were given a binder with the entire class curriculum and assignments and were able to work at their own pace and have the exams scheduled at dates that worked for them.

[@beeetle8055]

Oh another thing about the vocational schools, they did payed programs as well where you could get official certification for food or work safety, first aid, babysitting, hunters safety and other courses that only took a couple weeks rather than a whole semester.

[@kimberlysymonds7517]

Canadian here Born and raised in Ontario, Canada! Pre-school programs start around age 3 (but they are private and cost $) Public (free) schools. We have 3 systems Public, Catholic or French (all free) Then there’s private school which cost $ or home schooling is also an option Well school is mandatory starting at age 6. We do offer 2 years of Kindergarten starting the year a child turns 4 Which is Junior & senior Kindergarten Elementary starts at Kindergarten, then Primary is grade 1-3, Junior is 4-6, intermediate is 7 & 8 All levels are considered elementary High school is grade 9-12 After high school you can do Collage, university or Trade school Collage is usually a 1-2yr degree University is usually 4+yrs

[@nicol61]

Except you get a diploma not a degree from college.

[@stewartbonner]

Work-integrated is where the apprenticeship programs and engineering technologies are , large provincial and industry supported 'polytechnics institutions' and are in the college designation. Manufacturers will have their training administration and facilities at polytechnics.

[@cosmickid1794]

These video's are worthless.....middle school is rare in Canada, it's preschool, kindergarten, elementary school (grades 1 to 8) then High School (secondary) ( 9-12) then you're on your own, either work, college or university. Yes, middle school exists, but, it's not that common

[@Angie-lp7wg]

In Ontario, we have 2 systems of tax-payer funded schools - public and Catholic. The Catholic schools are generally split into one building for elementary (grades 1 to 8) and one building for high school/secondary (grades 9 to 12). Many of the public schools, at least in Toronto, are split into 3 parts - one for grades 1 to 6; middle schools for grades 7 to 9; and one for grades 10 to 12. I think this was done because there would be too many students to comfortably fit in one building (without making the schools huge).

[@km_studios]

The division of kindergarten to grade 12 into elementary, middle, and high school various across the country. Where I currently live, we don't even have middle school. Elementary school is from kindergarten to grade 7, and high school is from grade 8 to grade 12. However, where I lived in my early childhood, elementary school was from kindergarten to grade 6, junior high or middle school was from grade 7 to grade 9, and senior high was grade 10 to grade 12. That's probably why the videos were giving mixed information about that.

[@Necrothep]

@2:55 In Québec, it's 4 and it starts at "Marternelle" where you play, learn the alphabet and little stuff while doing painting and fun stuff.

[@paulmarshall4794]

When and where I was in school we all started school at 5 in primary which came before grade 1. Some places call it preschool but in the town I grew up in it was called primary. That school contained primary to grade 6. Once we finished elementary we went to junior high school which was grade 7 and 8, then high school which was grade 9 to 12. Both junior and senior high in my town were in the same building, the only difference is the junior high entered at one end of the school and seniors entered at the other end but shared the same facilities such as the gym. A couple things that have changed over the years is the community college. Back when I graduated from high school in 1985 the community colleges were known as vocational schools. You could actually get into vocational (at least in the province of Nova Scotia) as long as you had completed grade 9. At that time many of the courses taught were trades. You could take a mechanics course, electrical, plumbing, hair dressing, etc. I think it was around 1987 or 1988 that they converted them to community colleges. After graduating high school I had attended university one year thinking of becoming an engineer. Being somewhat lazy I didn't know how much work and studying I would have to do so after 1 year of university I decided not to go back and instead went to vocational school starting in 1986. I took a two year data processing program which cost me a total of $500 back then. I only had to purchase my books and in the second year I had to pay $50 towards graduation. It was during my second year that the vocational changed to community college. When I graduated I actually received a diploma from both. I have heard that community college costs a lot more to attend today. One of the courses I took in the course was accounting and I discovered I was actually good at it so I ended up going back to university to get a bachelor of commerce degree with a concentration in accounting. Back then I paid around $6000 per year for tuition, room, food plan, and books. A lot cheaper than Canadian university costs today. One of the people I met at university was from Boston. Foreign students paid higher tuition fees but he told me that the cost of him attending university in Canada was less than what his parents were paying for his little sister to attend private high school in Boston. The timelines you saw regarding university of 3 to 7 years is because you can obtain a bachelor degree in 3 years if you take extra courses each year. For a medical or legal degree, you would normally do a 4 year bachelor and then another 3 years in medicine or law.

[@Jay-D92]

I'm from Ontario. Here, French is a mandatory subject for students in Grades 1 to 9. You can drop it after Grade 9 if you choose not to continue with it (which is what I did...now I barely remember it). However, in schools with International Baccalaureate programs, the students in those programs must take it past Grade 9. We also have schools with French Immersion programs where the majority of the curriculum is taught in French.

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

When you finish your secondary education in Australia there generally isn't a graduation ceremony, your certificate would either posted to you as a hardcopy or e-mailed to you.

[@stitchingontherock]

I haven't read through the comments, so I don't know if anyone from Newfoundland has replied. As the videos said, each province governs education and there are differences. Our three levels, in most communities, are elementary (kindergarten to grade 6) junior high (grades 7-9) and high school (grades 10-12). As far as French being taught, everyone has the option to start kindergarten in a French Immersion program that teaches every subject in French or to start in an English program, which offers a French class starting in grade 4 which is just like your math class or your science class. Students also have the option of a late Immersion start in grade 7, which means they do all their subjects in French in Jr high and high school.

[@toast4531]

A difference for education levels for some provinces is here in NL where elementary is kindergarten- grade 6, middle school is 7-9 and high school 10-12

[@letting-go-to-be-okay]

In Canada, if you drop out of high school, there's always still an opportunity to apply to (community college) college as a mature student if you are age 20 or older without a high school diploma! They keep that door open for people who want to go back to school and all that is required is to complete the prerequisite high school courses that relates to the subject you want to study, instead of having to spend additional time to finish a hs diploma (or getting a GED which is still an option). You're also allowed to apply to university without a high school diploma too! If you've spent a semester in college first and then transferred into university to basically prove you're capable of keeping up with the curriculum, they will be more than happy to accept you! I love how Canada makes education VERY accessible and affordable because they recognize education as an important contribution to society! Everyone has an equal opportunity to access education.

[@miraleatardiff8543]

Tyler, in Canada we have Preschool (3-4) and Junior Kindergarten (4-5) Pre-school programs focus on child development and early learning skills like recognizing shapes, colours, numbers, and letters while Kindergarten programs emphasize basic literacy, math, and social skills. My children started school at 4; consequently, they knew how to read when they entered Grade 1, and by Grade 3 were starting algebra. When I was in BC, Primary was grades 1-7, with Junior High being grades 8-10 with High School being grades 11-12. Mandatory schooling: Students between 12 and 15 who habitually skip school can be fined 1000.00 CAD and/or be placed on up to 1 year's probation. College can be a great stepping stone into University. In response to the last video: I have never, ever heard of Junior High being referred to as Middle School, and High School is just that. High School, but I think that may depend on the Province.

[@chantaldesnoyers4506]

Ontario teacher here: while school in Ontario is mandatory from age 6, most public school boards offer pre-K and K programmes which follow Ontario’s two-year kindergarten program. So in reality, most students in Ontario start their schooling around 4 years old.

[@terryomalley1974]

We have middle school too in Ontario. When I was a kid, elementary school was kindergarten to grade 6. Middle school was grades 7 and 8, and high school was grades 9 through 12.

[@darrentrerice1]

Growing up in the Yukon Territory, french was taught from grade 1-10 then was optional in grade 11-12. This is applied to public and catholic schools, there is also all french schools.

[@alospm]

In my province school starts at kindergarten. My kid starts in September at age 4. You can delay kindergarten start if you want. Homeschooling is absolutely allowed. Your kid doesn’t need to be schooled in a public school. Also pre-k is optional. My province is starting to put more priority on it. We have provincial government funding for $10CAD per day “daycare” in licensed early childhood education facilities here. That covers infancy until kindergarten. And in my province the government funds a free half-day pre-k for kids in their year before kindergarten. So parents pay $5 per day for 4 year olds. This is different province to province. I live in a more “social” province. As for university degrees, you can get a bachelor’s in less than 4 years in some circumstances. My partner got a bachelor’s of education in 3 years. I got my nursing degree in a 4 year program, but if you already have a separate bachelor’s, you can get a nursing degree (BN) in an accelerated program in two years. There are others as well. College here is not the same as university. A note on French. In my province you can enroll your child in a French school. Or in French immersion in a “regular” school. Or I’m an English program at a regular school. If you do English in my province, French language training starts in grade 3 and is a part of curriculum from grades 3-9. We call it “core French” and it’s very very basic. After grade 9, core French becomes optional.

[@ericatkinson4477]

I know the NS, NB and AB school systems. French language studies are generally required up to a certain point (that point differs depending on province), in NS students can choose not to study French anymore in high school (Grade 9) for example. This mandatory French would practically look like between 1-4 1hr French classes/week typically. In most jurisdictions, there are also French Immersion options available (the difference would be from which grade you can start), this practically means students would learn in French everyday (all subjects). Finally, most communities also have French schools, these are governed by a French school board and teach using a different curriculum (has a lot of similarities to the France French curriculum structure). It is a very different thing and is usually something more for actual French speaking families, or French 2nd language families who are very fluent (parents included).

[@garconerproduction3046]

it depends on the neighbourhood. you can have an elementary school with kindergarten to grade 7, a junior high school for grades 8 to 10 and a senior secondary for grades 11 and 12, or an elementary school that goes up to grade 6, a middle school for grades 7 to 9 and high school for grades 10 to 12, or elementary school to grade 7 and high school from grade 8 to 12. all in the same city.

[@lynmurray4331]

I went directly into grade 1 in a one room schoolhouse in the late 60's. School had grade 1 to 4 while a nearby school hade grade 5 to 8. Those schools were all closed at the end of that year and we went to a regional school in a nearby town. My second grade year was the first year that kindergarten was offered in our area. Going to school in Ontario there was a graduation after grade 12, and a second one after grade 13 (primarily but not exclusively for university bound students). I then did a 4 year university B.Sc. , worked for a year, then did a M.Sc.

[@damystery123]

So regarding the questions about elementary school. Most kids start kindergarten at age 5 (but some may start at 4 if their birthday is between September and December or they may start at 6 if their parents feel they aren't ready for school yet). Preschool is not mandatory but many parents use it, especially if they would need daycare anyways. Also yes, at least where I'm from, they call it elementary school and not primary school. Middle school is not always a thing in every town. Some towns have it and depending on the town it could be grades 6-8 or grades 7-9. My town did not have a middle school and elementary school went from kindergarten to grade 7 and high school was grades 8-12. I'm honestly not sure if you can drop out of high school, I never had anyone from my high school ever drop out. Also yes we learn French in school. I learned basic french throughout the majority of elementary school (I can't remember what grade we started). I also took French in high school and we (in BC) only had to take a language up until grade 10 but could skip it in grades 11 and 12. My high school offered spanish and japanese as alternative language classes from grades 9 onwards if you didn't want to continue with French.

[@johnd.9]

When I attended the public school system in Nova Scotia, it was separated into elementary, junior high, and high school. The divisions were grades Primary and 1 through 6, then 7-8-9, then grades 10, 11, 12. These days, it is elementary with Primary through to grade 7, then high school being grades 8 through 12. Regardless, in English schools, French is mandatory up to and including grade 9. Now to really confuse you, you should look up French immersion available to English students in some school systems. Now that you understand the difference between university and college in Canada, I'm going to throw a monkey wrench. I first took a 3-year diploma program (including three 4-month work terms) in Chemical Engineering Technology at the University College of Cape Breton. After the technical diploma programs were transferred over to the Nova Scotia Community College system, UCCB was renamed Cape Breton University. After working for a few years, I then went to Dalhousie University and earned a BSc in pharmacy.

[@dorisbetts3012]

Middle school is relatively new in Nova Scotia. In my day, there was no preschool in my community. We started Kindergarden at age 5, then Elementary grades were grades 1 to 6, then we went to Junior High for grades 7 to 9, then High School in grades 10 to 12. Today, preschool is an option if wanted but usually is paid out of pocket and it is not necessary to send your child there Monday to Friday or for full days. There are options. Presently, in our publicly-funded system, we also have Pre-primary which begins at 4 years old, then Primary at age 5. The Pre- Primary and Primary grades are part of the Elementary school system which goes up to grade 5 usually, followed by Middle School which goes to grade 8 or 9, I believe, and finally, we have High School from grade 9 or 10 to grade 12. We also have both French and English public school systems with separate school boards. The French system operates 22 French first schools in Nova Scotia and were established to help the French Acadian population retain their language and culture while living in the English milieu. The English system consists of core French classes, extended Core French classes, full French immersion, and late immersion. They also conduct International Baccalaureate or IB French courses at the high school level. Both systems are accountable to the Department of Education in the province.

[@designedbyjoe]

Grade 1 starts at age 6. You can enroll kids in pre-kindergarten starting at age 4. (Sometimes referred to as Jr / Sr kindergarten). Colleges don't typically offer degrees. There might be some exceptions on certain programs that aren't typically offered at a university level. You will get a certificate or diploma, and it's generally for skilled trades, sales or creative programs. Most colleges have more robust co-op programs with specific industries so you work for part of your terms. You need to go to University for a degree (~3yr) / masters (~5yr) / doctorate/post-grad program (~7-8yr). These would be the typical US "ivy league" courses like business, legal, fine/performance arts, science, engineering, the various 'ologys' etc. As for languages, french was mandatory up to grade 9 or 10, after which we had the choice of no further language studies, or you could take German, Italian, Latin, Spanish, or Portuguese as electives. I think the alternate language offerings vary by school and availability of teachers who can teach those languages. I had some friends who had access to Mandarin and Japanese in Toronto, but not offered where I went.

[@gustru2078]

Everyone explained what CÉGEP is but no one afaik mentioned the fact that there is something else than CÉGEP/College and University after high school. We call those "Centre de formation professionnelle". The "degree" you get there is called "DEP" (Diplôme d'études professionnelles). *This* is the kind of place where you learn jobs like electrician, plumber, janitor, construction, heavy machinery operation, agriculture and so on. In those places, some DEP require you to have finished high school while others usually require "secondary 3" (9th grade?). In college, you have stuff like IT (programming/networking mostly, repairs and customer service are more on the DEP side), police (a full 3 years technical degree is mandatory to be accepted in any police force), nurse, etc. University is for everything that requires at least a bachelors degree, teachers for example. A "Bac" is 3 or 4 years, a masters degree is usually 2 years and a PHD (doctorate), usually 3 or 4 I think. The only exception to that is medicine, where their first degree is a doctorate, hence the word "doctor" and can then specialize in anything they want. Oncology, Cardiology, surgery, etc. Long story short, many people stay 9 years+ as university students.

[@lucforand8527]

CEGEP in Quebec is considered to be similar to a college in other provinces. All CEGEPS have a two year program to prepare students for University in Quebec and three year programs for different trades; especially trades requiring certificates, such as in construction. There is even a Circus College that is partnered with the Cirque de Soleil. There are also many private colleges that teach trades requiring less time (1 to 2 years). It needs to be noted that in Quebec students only do 11 years of elementary and secondary school (grade 1 to 11); whereas, all other provinces do twelve years (grade 1 to 12). Most provinces also have pre-school programs such as Kindergarden. It should also be noted that Quebec students can go to university elsewhere in Canada or the world after grade 11 or after 1 or 2 years of CEGEP. Most Canadian provinces will normally require Quebec students to take a preparatory year (makeup courses) in lieu of not having grade twelve; however, they can normally go straight into any program with 1 or 2 years of CEGEP.

[@bobbyhulll8737]

Courses in a university can often be used as credits towards a college diploma if they are recognized and vise versa .. for example if you took an economics course in University you may be able to transfer that and get credit Towards your business or marketing diploma in a a college .

[@donnahenderson4727]

I am in Ontario. We have Junior Kindergarten (JK) and kids have to be 4 by Dec 31 of the year they start so you could have some three yr olds. Then we have Kindergarten. Please note that JK and K are not mandatory in Ontario. There is generally 3 types of school before high school. JK through grade 8, JK through grade 6, or grade 7 and 8 then high school. We then have high school/secondary school, and that is grades 9-12 (US freshman, sophomore, junior and senior). Many students do a ‘victory lap’ where they go back to upgrade or take other classes that are requirements for admission to their post secondary programs. When I was in High Grade, those going to college would complete high school at grade 12 and go to college. For kids that wanted to go to university you had to complete an extra year…grade 13. This is like a prep year for university and these marks were used for admission. The graduating class after me was the last to complete grade 13. In college most people did 2 or 3 yr programs however the skilled trades schooling is different (although part of college) as they would do a semester and they an apprenticeship before going back and repeating 2 or 3 times. They will graduate then write “red seal” exam passing that means you have met the national standard in your trade and you are qualified anywhere in Canada to work in that field. At university there are 3 year Bachelor Programs or 4 year Bachelor (honours) program. You must have the latter before you can apply to Master’s Programs. Also, to become a teacher (again this is Ontario) there are generally 2 ways. Complete undergraduate program then apply to a 2 year BA of Education Program or completed undergraduate degree and then complete Master’s degree in education. Of course there are always exceptions to the rules.

[@ithiriaderitan1745]

Basic French is taught in most provinces for a couple years in elementary. I know it may have changed but back in the 89's-90's French was mandatory from grade 5 till 8 in BC

[@marie-andreec5164]

We only have five years of secondary school (which would be junior high and high school combined in the US) so we graduate one year earlier, generally at 17. Our university bachelors degrees are usually also 3 years. So by having the 2 years of cegep, we gap those years. You can specialize in different subjects in the general cegep programs, ilke litterature, social sciences, natural sciences or "hard" sciences like math and physics (which we call "pure" sciences in French), depending on what university program you want to get into. Like someone who wants to be a lawyer might choose something like social sciences or humanities for example, while someone who wants to be an engineer would go for "hard" sciences. If you want to do a technical, more hands on program, then you'll be in cegep for three years.

[@Zandercraft]

Not sure about other provinces, but there was actually a grade 13 in Ontario for a long time.

[@faysalkus1083]

I live in the province of Manitoba in the middle of Canada. Yes there were truant office sent out to find out why kids weren't in school. I think the earliest anyone could technically drop out was at 16. When I went to school we started at 6. Prior to that it was kindergarten which parent paid for. We had elementary to grade 6 junior high (middle)for grades 7 to 9. We had to take French for 3 years during junior (middle) schools. In high school we had options to continuing French classes. Now my sister had her 2 daughters (my nieces) in French immersion from kindergarten to grade 12. All classes are taught in French. Their brother began in French immersion but switched to English classes in grade 4.. One niece went to college for training as a Heavy duty mechanic. Her sister went to University to train to become a teacher. Their brother went to college for computer database management and network admin. I have 3 older nephews who did not attend college or university but took apprenticeship. I went to university at night school so my 3 year program took me 7 years but my company paid my tuition on completion. So I have seen all aspects. Yes we also have grants and scholarships for post secondary education but none of them are for sports participation. Usually they are given based on grades and work done such as research.

[@LivingMyBestLifeIAm]

In Alberta, we start school in Kindergarten at age 5 and then do grade 1-6 in elementary school. 7-9 in a jr. high school and 10-12 in high school (or sr. high). SOME schools move students depending on how many kids are enrolling at the time. For example, some of my grade 6 class went to the Jr. High because there were too many of us. That shuffled the Jr. High into grades 6-8 and the 9’s were pushed up to the high school for 9-12. By the time I got out of elementary it was 6-9 and 10-12. Very confusing but it was just accommodating and influx of kids born in my year.

[@daniellelinker1004]

To answer your question about mandatory French class. I can only speak for Ontario but it is mandatory to take French class from grade one to grade 9. For grade 9 you can substitute French class for Ojibwe (which is an indigenous language). To graduate with your high school diploma Ojibwe or French must be taken in grade 9.

[@celestial17]

In Alberta, we have kindergarten to grade 6 for elementary, 7-9 for junior high, and 10-12 for high school.

[@SubscriptionUnboxing]

In Alberta, we have: Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary School (Grades 1-6), Junior High School (Grades 7-9), and High School (Grades 10-12).

[@mcleslie24]

In the two provinces that I have lived in; the levels are Kindergarten or preschool (usually ages 4 to 5), Elementary (grades 1 to 6, which begins at age 5 at grade 1), Junior High (grades 7 to 9), High School (grades 10 to 12), and then Post Secondary School (College, University, Tech Schools, Trade Schools, and many others).

[@petey9712]

Some info are wrong. Elementary school starts from Kindergarten (optional)to grade 7 and 8-12 for secondary school.

[@leprechaunchan]

I grew up in one the territories. I went to an elementary school from K-5 school and middle school 6-8 & high school from 9-12. But most schools were K-8 and 9-12 or K-12. Mandatory from age 6 but I knew people who dropped out at 15. We did AAT achievement tests/standardized testing in grades 3, 6, 9 and departmentals in grade 12. Other provinces allow for the teachers to write their own finals regardless of the grade. When I was in school the departmentals were worth 50% of our grade. I’m told it has changed since. In my territory there was for math in grade 12 pure math if you planned on going to university or applied math if you were planning on going to college. I started core French in grade one but the Catholic school system started core French from grade 3 or 4. You could also enter the French Immersion school system from kindergarten (early immersion) grade four (middle immersion and much rarer) and late immersion from grade seven. There are also francophone schools for students with at least one French speaking parent (at least that’s how it was in my district). As mentioned there are generally at least one or more publicly funded school districts/divisions per district or city. Public, Catholic, and Francophone, and then there are also private schools. More rural districts have only one and cities have more. I felt Alberta did better than Saskatchewan in maths and sciences when I changed schools. I’ve done both university and college in three different provinces. I’ve also graduated from both private and public post-secondary schools. There are also after-degree programs which grant you a second bachelor degree in just two years. Which school to go to really depends on your needs and your desired location.

[@jeannierenton7542]

Schools in BC definitely teach French from grade 5 to 8 now, when I was in school it was grade 8 to 12 so things certainly have changed & my Junior High School (Middle School now) is a French Immersion School now.

[@Elizabeth-rq1vi]

They missed the third major post secondary educational institutions- polytechnic, they offer the trades, diplomas in media programs, dental assisting, massage, library science, two year programs and all the education needed for the trades. Colleges are usually 2year professional diplomas, upgrading high school marks/ courses, smaller classes and more hands on. Universities offer more theory than practical experiences & undergraduate and graduate degrees. Psychology, sociology, social work, mathematics, history etc. Our medical schools are attached to universities but may be on a difficult campus.

[@katherinedriscoll5871]

We have kindergarten that starts at 4 or 5 depending on your birthday. The provinces have different cut off dates for enrolment. It is free as well. And many provinces are working on 10 dollar a day day care and preschool. ( I am teacher and a mom of a child in preschool- this is my life right now). I hope this helps

[@cquezel]

The path to university in Québec is: Public daycare (8$/day) ages 0 to 4 (most employees have an early childhood education degree). Kindergarten (age 5) (typically in a school with grades 1 to 6 students) Primary school (grades 1 to 6) (ages 6 to 11) Secondary school (secondary 1 to 5) (ages 12 to 16) General CEGEP (2 years) (age 17 and 18) University Bachelor's program (3 or 4 years, three years for general programs, 4 years for Engineering ...) Path to technical degree (police officers, lab technician, early childhood education ...) is three years specialized degree in CEGEP instead of 2 years general. CEGEP have the great advantage to be big institution with lots of services (Gym, pool, library, ...). Average CEGEP size is around 6300 students.

[@brianclabby8222]

Grades 7 & 8 can be called a number of names, such as Senior Public/Jr. High/Middle School to name but a few. I myself went to a Jr. High school. Children as young as 3 years old (if the birthday is before Dec. 31st) can start school in what we also call kindergarten (both Jr. Kindergarten & Senior Kindergarten. Also, I admit I quit high school 3 times, so I was under 18, but I guess at the time, you had to go to school till the age of 16 years. I wasn't aware of when or maybe in which province/territory the age is 18 yrs old. That, frankly, is a new one for me.

[@rmcoull5009]

I’m in BC. Most kids do either preschool or daycare at age 3-4y. There are French Preschools as well. Kindergarten age 4-5. Elementary is K to 7. There is a junior secondary which can be grade 8-9. However many skip this by going from grade 7 in Elementary to grade 8 in High School until 12. Kids learn basic French which is mediatory till after grade 9. This being said some kids attend a French immersion Elementary which is mainly French with a portion of English OR Francophone Elementary which is strictly French. In order to attend a Francophone either the parents or grandparents have to be fluent French speakers whereas French Immersion can take kids with any level of French exposure. Hope this helps.

[@karenc1564]

in Ontario, we have junior kindergarten, which starts at age 3 or 4, depending on what time of your year your birthday is and then senior kindergarten for those 5 and 6. from there they move onto grade 1. I work in a kindergarten, which have almost half juniors and half seniors. some kids did not start until they were 5 or 6, where their parents opted to keep them home until that age.

[@Lordtariq4233]

Tyler, Pre-K at age 4 and age 5 for Senior K, kindergartens are not really mandatory but still we sent kids at this young age. So at 6yo they start at Grade 1. Hope I answered your question.