Canadian Overview

Structure & Organization

How is it organized and what is the structure?

Provinces typically organize their school system at the local level into geographic districts.

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Here is a chart of the general structure of the public school system in Canada. The names of the levels, age and grade ranges can vary slightly with each province and territory. Primary and secondary education in Nova Scotia is commonly referred to as P-12, a short form for the school grades. These grades are primary (P) and grade 1 through grade 12. In some provinces and territories there are middle or junior high schools. These generally include grades 7, 8 and 9.

Education School Level Age Grade Compulsary
Pre-School Pre-School, Pre-Primary 2-5 N/A No
Primary Primary, Elementary 5-11 P-6 Yes
Secondary Junior High, Middle School 12-14 7-9 Yes
High School, Senior High 15-18 10-12 Yes until 16-18 (depends on the province/territory)

Here is an in-depth chart of the structure of the education system in each region from the pre-elementary to the postsecondary levels that originates on theĀ Council of Ministers of Education, Canada's website.

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    More Reading: Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

    Source for theĀ chart illustrating the structure of the educational system in each jurisdiction at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels.