Back to school... by the numbers

2016

Just in time for "back to school!"

Here are some selected numbers on assorted topics related to education and students of all ages in Canada.

(Last updated: September 20, 2016)


Public elementary and secondary enrolment

  • 5,034,378 — The total number of students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in Canada in 2013/2014, remaining fairly consistent in each of the school years from 2009/2010 to 2013/2014.

Source: Elementary–Secondary Education Survey for Canada, the provinces and territories, 2013/2014, The Daily, Thursday, November 19, 2015.


Learning in both official languages

  • 392,430 — The number of students enrolled in French immersion programs in 2013/2014, up 5.5% from the previous academic year.

Source: Elementary–Secondary Education Survey for Canada, the provinces and territories, 2013/2014, The Daily, Thursday, November 19, 2015.


Public versus private schools

Students at private high schools tend to outperform their public school counterparts, but this appears largely due to the more favourable socioeconomic backgrounds of private school students and their peers.

8% to 9% — The percentage by which students who attended private high schools scored higher on standardized tests compared with students who attended public high schools.

35% — The proportion of private school students who had graduated from a university program by age 23.

21% — The proportion of public school students who had graduated from a university program by age 23.

Source: "Study: Academic outcomes of public and private high school students: What lies behind the differences?" The Daily, Tuesday, March 31, 2015.


Extracurricular activities and First Nations high school completion

Participation in extracurricular activities was associated with an increased probability that First Nations people would complete high school by age 18.

68% — The probability that off-reserve First Nations males aged 18 to 24 who participated in sport activities on a weekly basis would finish high school by age 18, compared with 55% among those who reported less-than-weekly participation.

77% — The probability that off-reserve First Nations females aged 18 to 24 who participated in clubs or groups on a weekly basis would complete high school by age 18, compared with 58% of those who reported less-than-weekly participation.

59% — The proportion of off-reserve First Nations people aged 18 to 24 in 2012 who had completed high school by age 18. The remaining respondents completed high school at a later age (12%) or left school before finishing (29%).

Source: "Study: Participation in extracurricular activities and high school completion among off-reserve First Nations people, 2012," The Daily, Friday, May 13, 2015.


Post secondary enrolments and graduates

  • 2,048,019 — The total number of students enrolled in Canadian universities and colleges in 2013/2014, up 1.2% compared with 2012/2013.

These fields of study have been the top three in terms of enrolments for over a decade:

  • business, management and public administration
  • humanities
  • social and behavioural sciences and law

In 2013, the following three fields of study accounted for over half of those receiving qualifications:

  • 22% — The proportion of qualifications received by graduates that were in business, management and public administration.
  • 15% — The proportion of qualifications received by graduates that were in social and behavioural sciences and law.
  • 14% — The proportion of qualifications received by graduates that were in health and related fields.

Source: Canadian postsecondary enrolments and graduates, 2013/2014, The Daily, Monday, November 30, 2015.

  • 64% — The proportion of adults aged 25 to 64 who had postsecondary qualifications in Canada in 2011.

Source: 2011 National Household Survey, Education in Canada: Attainment, Field of Study and Location of Study.

See also: Tables by subject: Education, training and learning in Summary tables; Education, training and learning in Statistics by subject.


Tuition fees

  • $6,373 — The average amount paid in tuition fees by Canadian full-time undergraduate students in the 2016/2017 academic year, compared with $6,201 the previous year.
  • $6,703 — The average amount paid in tuition fees by Canadian full-time graduate students in the 2016/2017 academic year, compared with $6,537 the previous year.

Source: Tuition fees for degree programs, 2016/2017, The Daily, Wednesday, September 7, 2016.


Apprenticeship training programs

  • 451,140 — The total number of registrations in apprenticeship training programs across Canada in 2014, down 3.9% from 2013.

Registrations include new registrations, reinstatements and already registered apprentices.

Source: Registered apprenticeship training programs, 2014, The Daily, Thursday, September 8, 2016.


Teachers and professors

  • 732,800 — The total number of teachers and professors in Canada as of 2015. This is an increase of over 4.5% from the previous year.

The National Occupational Classification 'Teachers and Professors' includes university professors and assistants, college and other vocational instructors, secondary and elementary school teachers and educational counsellors.

Source: Custom tabulation provided by Labour Statistics Division, Statistics Canada.


A profession dominated by women

  • 84% — The proportion of women among all elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 227,810 — The number of female elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 43,390 — The number of male elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 59% — The proportion of women among all secondary school teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 101,960 — The number of female secondary school teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 72,015 — The number of male secondary school teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 97% — The proportion of women among all early childhood educators and assistants in Canada in 2011.
  • 181,705 — The number of female early childhood educators and assistants in Canada in 2011.
  • 6,050 — The number of male early childhood educators and assistants in Canada in 2011.

Sources: 2011 National Household Survey, Table 2 The 20 most common occupations among women aged 15 years and over and the share of women in the total workforce, May 2011; Tabulation: Occupation - National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2011 (691), Class of Worker (5), Age Groups (13B) and Sex (3) for the Employed Labour Force Aged 15 Years and Over, in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey.


An international perspective

795 — The average number of hours taught by primary school teachers in Canada in 2012/2013, compared with the average of 772 hours for the OECD countries.

742 — The average number of hours taught by lower secondary (generally grades 7 to 9) school teachers in Canada in 2012/2013, compared with the average of 694 hours for the OECD countries.

743 — The average number of hours taught by upper secondary (generally grades 10 to 12) school teachers in Canada in 2012/2013, compared with the average of 643 hours for the OECD countries.

$9,865 US — The expenditure per student at the combined primary and secondary level in Canada in 2011/2012, compared with the OECD average of $8,982 US, which also included post-secondary non-tertiary.

Source: Education indicators in Canada: An international perspective, 2015, April, 2016.


Household spending on education

According to the Survey of Household Spending:

  • $1,502 — The average expenditure on education* by all households in Canada in 2014.

*Expenditure on education includes:

  • Tuition fees for kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools
  • Tuition fees for university
  • Tuition fees for other post secondary education (college, trade and professional courses)
  • Other educational services
  • Other courses and lessons (excluding driving lessons)
  • Textbooks and school supplies

Source: CANSIM, table 203-0021.


Clothes and supplies for "back to school"

For some kids, "back to school" may mean it is time to get outfitted with an entirely new wardrobe. For others, it may mean replacing clothes that they have outgrown or worn out during the summer months. For most of them, it means new notebooks and pencils.

Here are the total sales recorded in July, August and September (third quarter) of 2015 across Canada for these selected categories, from the Retail Commodity Survey:

  • $281.6 million — The total value of third quarter sales of girls' clothing and accessories in Canada in 2015, up 3.9 % from 2014.
  • $271.0 million — The total value of third quarter sales of boys' clothing and accessories in Canada in 2015, up 9.9 % from 2014.
  • $764.8 million — The total value of third quarter sales of stationery, office supplies, cards, gift wrap and party supplies in Canada in 2015, up 0.6 % from 2014.

Source: CANSIM, table 080-0022.


Learning limitations

  • 622,300 — The approximate number of Canadians aged 15 years and older in Canada in 2012 who reported having a learning disability.
  • 2.3% — The proportion of Canadians aged 15 years and older in Canada in 2012 who reported having a learning disability.

Source: Learning disabilities among Canadians aged 15 years and older, 2012.


High school, interrupted

The transition from student life to earning life is a critical process in almost everyone's life. Young people who did not obtain their high-school diploma potentially face the challenge of pulling their life together.

  • 6.8% — The proportion of students who did not return to high school in 2015. A decrease of 2.4 percentage points over 10 years and a decrease of 5.7 percentage points over 20 years.

Source: Custom tabulation provided by Labour Statistics Division, Statistics Canada.


Helpful hints

For more data and analysis on education, consult Education, training and learning in Statistics by subject, as well as Education in Canada: Attainment, Field of Study and Location of Study.

You can also search for available data in CANSIM by subject, Education, training and learning and in CANSIM by survey.


Resources for students and teachers

Here are some of Statistics Canada's online publications, Internet resources and teacher's kits designed to help you to explore and to learn about various data, to understand statistical concepts and to enhance learning:

About us

Behind the data

By the numbers

Canada at a glance

Canadian Agriculture at a Glance

Canadian Megatrends

Definitions, data sources and methods

Latest statistics

Statistics by subject

Stay connected

2016 Census teacher's and adult education kits


For more information about this page or for help finding more data, contact Media Relations.

See features on many other subjects in By the numbers.

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