Back to school... by the numbers

2018

Just in time for back to school! Here are some assorted facts related to education and students of all ages in Canada.

(Last updated: August 29, 2018)

Number of students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools

  • 5,068,587 — The total number of students enrolled in public elementary and secondary school programs in Canada in 2015/2016, continuing a slight upward trend seen since 2011/2012

Source: Elementary–Secondary Education Survey for Canada, the provinces and territories, 2015/2016, The Daily, November 3, 2017.

School attendance

  • 97% of 15-year-olds were attending school in 2015/2016.
  • 24% of 19-year-olds were in college in 2015/2016, and at least half of college students aged 17 to 24 were also working.
  • 36% of 21-year-olds were at university in 2015/2016.

For university students, the older they were, the more likely they were to combine work and school. This may reflect the fact that many older students at universities are graduate students who often combine their studies with teaching or doing research.

Source: Education Indicators in Canada, biannual, The Daily, March 29, 2017.

Enrolments in French immersion programs

  • 428,625 — The number of elementary-secondary students enrolled in French immersion programs in 2015/2016.

Source: Elementary–Secondary Education Survey for Canada, the provinces and territories, 2015/2016, The Daily, November 3, 2017.

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.
  • 52% — The percentage of private school students with a university-educated parent.
  • 29% — The percentage of public school students with a university-educated parent.

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

Extracurricular activities and off-reserve First Nations high school completion

Participation in extracurricular activities in the last year of school was positively correlated with completing high school by age 18.

  • 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%).
  • 86% — The proportion of First Nations women who had completed high school by age 18 among those who participated in clubs or groups at least weekly, compared with 50% among those who participated less often.
  • 80% — The proportion of First Nations men who had completed high school by age 18 among those who participated in clubs or groups at least weekly, compared with 55% among those who participated less often.

Source: Participation in extracurricular activities and high school completion among off-reserve First Nations people, May 2015.

Postsecondary enrolments

  • 2,034,957 — The total number of students enrolled in Canadian universities and colleges in 2015/2016.

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

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 37-10-0018-01 Postsecondary enrolments, by registration status, institution type, sex and student status.

  • 54% — The proportion of Canadians aged 25 to 64 who had either college or university qualifications, up from 48% in 2006.

Source: Education in Canada: Key results from the 2016 Census, The Daily, November 29, 2017.

Apprenticeship training programs

  • 417,300 — The total number of registrations in apprenticeship training programs across Canada in 2016.

Source: Registered apprenticeship training programs, 2016, The Daily, May 28, 2018.

These major trade groups were the top five in terms of the number of registrations for apprenticeship training in 2016:

  • 71,283 — Electricians
  • 46,311 — Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters
  • 43,005 — Carpenters
  • 40,032 — Automotive service
  • 20,223 — Food services

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 37-10-0023-01 Number of apprenticeship program registrations.

Teachers and professors

  • 721,100 — The total number of teachers, professors and counsellors in Canada as of 2017.

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0297-01 Labour force characteristics by occupation, annual (x 1,000).

A profession dominated by women

Elementary school and kindergarten:

  • 84% — The proportion of women among all elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Canada in 2016.
  • 242,845 — The number of female elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Canada in 2016.
  • 45,295 — The number of male elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Canada in 2016.

Secondary school:

  • 59% — The proportion of women among all secondary school teachers in Canada in 2016.
  • 96,350 — The number of female secondary school teachers in Canada in 2016.
  • 66,915 — The number of male secondary school teachers in Canada in 2016.

Early-childhood educators and assistants:

  • 96% — The proportion of women among all early-childhood educators and assistants in Canada in 2016.
  • 193,915 — The number of female early-childhood educators and assistants in Canada in 2016.
  • 7,345 — The number of male early-childhood educators and assistants in Canada in 2016.

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-400-X2016295.

An international perspective

  • 797 — The average number of hours taught by elementary school teachers in Canada in 2014/2015, compared with the average of 794 hours for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
  • 742 — The average number of hours taught by lower secondary (generally grades 7 to 9) school teachers in Canada in 2014/2015, compared with the average of 712 hours for OECD countries.
  • 743 — The average number of hours taught by upper secondary (generally grades 10 to 12) school teachers in Canada in 2014/2015, compared with the average of 662 hours for OECD countries.

Source: Education indicators in Canada: An international perspective, 2017, The Daily, December 12, 2017.

International students in Canadian universities

  • 353,000 — The number of international students with a valid study permit in Canada in December 2015, up from 84,000 in December 1995.

Source: Study: International Students, Immigration and Earnings Growth, The Daily, August 22, 2017.

Household spending on education

According to the Survey of Household Spending:

  • $1,688 — The average expenditure on education by all households in Canada in 2016.

Expenditure on education includes:

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

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 11-10-0222-01 Household spending, Canada, regions and provinces.

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 the third quarter of 2017 across Canada for these selected categories, from the Retail Commodity Survey:

  • $365 million — The total value of third quarter sales of girls' clothing and accessories in Canada in 2017.
  • $325 million — The total value of third quarter sales of boys' clothing and accessories in Canada in 2017.
  • $549 million — The totale value of third quarter sales of home office supplies, not elsewhere classified, at retail in Canada in 2016.

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 11-10-0236-01 Retail commodity survey, retail sales (x 1,000).

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% — 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.

  • 6% — The percentage of non-students aged 20 to 24 years who had not graduated from high school in 2016.

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

  • 8% of men aged 25 to 34 had not graduated from high school in 2016, compared to 22% in 1990.
  • 5% of women aged 25 to 34 had not graduated from high school in 2016, compared to 18% in 1990.

Source: Study: Young men and women without a high school diploma, 1990 to 2016, The Daily, May 4, 2017.

Student debt

  • 34% — The percentage of bachelor graduates with student debt who had paid off their student loans three years after graduation.
  • 36% — The percentage of college and doctorate graduates with student debt who had paid off their student loans three years after graduation.
  • 44% — The percentage of master's graduates with student debt who had paid off their student loans three years after graduation.

Source: Graduating in Canada: Profile, labour market outcomes and student debt of the class of 2009/2010, 2013, The Daily, November 14, 2014.

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 by subject in Education, training and learning and 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:

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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