Education in Canada is generally divided into elementary or primary education, followed by secondary and post-secondary education. Primary education begins with kindergarten (children from approximately age 4 to 6) and goes until grade 8 (children from approximately age 7 to 13). Secondary education (high school) includes grades 9 to 12 (children from approximately age 14 to 18). With 137 elementary schools, 26 secondary schools, and 11 independent schools, Niagara Canada has a wide variety of options for your child’s education.
All children in Ontario are required to attend school from age 6 until the age of 18 or until they have graduated from a secondary school. Many children begin full day kindergarten at age 4. For children younger than 18, there are four public (free) school systems:
- The District School Board of Niagara is the public school board and biggest school system in
- The Niagara Catholic District School Board is the public Catholic school board in Niagara and teaches the Catholic faith within its curriculum.
- The Conseil Scolaire Viamonde is the public French-language school board for southern Ontario including Niagara.
- The Conseil Scolaire Catholique is the public Catholic French-language school board for southern Ontario including Niagara.
The Newcomers’ Guide to Elementary School and The Newcomers’ Guide to Secondary School help parents understand the Ontario education system. The guides offer helpful information on registration, attendance boundaries, learning English as a second language, the Ontario curriculum and more. The guides are available in English and French.