Education in Canada

Canada has a public school system in addition to its many private schools, and an estimated 8 percent of its budget is applied to the education sector. A large proportion of Canadians, around 15 percent, are in possession of a degree from a university, in addition to another 25% with college level degrees, and another half who have only finished high school. For First Nations members, however, the statistics show only 5% with university degrees, and as many as 55% who did not complete their high school education.

Education is a requirement by the age of 7 and until the age of at least 16 in Canada. While public schooling is free, parents are responsible for other charges incurred by such activities as art and music. About 5% of Canadian children are in private schools that do charge tuition, this includes some Roman Catholic schools and Muslim schools. Private schools can sometimes be boarding schools, where students live on a campus, and in other cases they are day schools. Classes are normally taught in the English language in most provinces, although in Quebec the language of instruction is French. In Vancouver, schools also can be found that teach children in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, or Punjabi.