Elementary and secondary schools

Public elementary and secondary school education is provided free to all Canadian citizens, landed immigrants and refugees. In 1999/00, there were 16,024 elementary and secondary schools in Canada—only 4% of which had enrolments of 1,000 students or more.

Although compulsory education begins at age 6 in most jurisdictions, 95% of 5-year-olds and 43% of 4-year-olds were attending school in 1999/00. Enrolment at age 16—the last year of compulsory education in most jurisdictions—was above 90% in 1999/00 in most provinces and territories.

	The computer, a useful tool in elementary schools Photo: Comstock

There is a wide difference in the way children work their way through the various school systems across Canada. Some switch from primary to junior high school at Grade 6 or 7, before going on to secondary school for Grade 9 or 10. Others go straight from primary to secondary school. In Quebec, high school ends at Grade 11, so students wishing to continue their studies in a postsecondary setting enrol at a CEGEP (collège d'enseignement général et professionnel). Ontario completed its shift from a five-year to a four-year high school program in 2002/03.