Elementary–Secondary Education Survey for Canada, the provinces and territories, 2013/2014
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Released: 2015-11-19
Just over 5 million students in Canada were enrolled in public elementary and secondary school programs in 2013/2014. More than 350,000 students graduated from public high schools in 2013/2014, a similar figure to previous years.
While enrolments in regular second language programs and first official language programs were stable compared with the previous year, enrolments in French immersion increased by 5.5%.
Number of public school students
The number of students in Canada's public elementary–secondary programs has remained fairly consistent in recent years, although there have been slight variations from year to year. There were just over 5 million students in each of the school years from 2009/2010 to 2013/2014.
Second language programs
Nationally, the number of students in regular second language programs was stable in 2013/2014. Close to 2 million students (1,967,439) were enrolled in such programs in Canada's public elementary and secondary schools, down 0.4% from 2012/2013.
Enrolments in French immersion programs totalled 392,430 in 2013/2014, up 5.5% from 2012/2013. Increases in these program enrolments were seen in every province and territory.
At the Canada level, the 241,182 enrolments in first official language programs for the linguistic minority were stable in 2013/2014 (+0.3%) compared with a year earlier.
Public school graduates
In 2013/2014, 351,510 students obtained a high school diploma from a public school in Canada, down 0.9% from 2012/2013. From 2009/2010 to 2013/2014, the number of graduates varied little from year to year.
Note to readers
Data presented in this release are from the Elementary–Secondary Education Survey (ESES). The ESES is an annual survey that collects aggregate data from each provincial/territorial ministry or department of education. The 2013/2014 ESES, conducted in 2015, collected data for five school years, namely from 2009/2010 to 2013/2014.
The enrolment and graduate counts represent data for programs in Canada's public elementary and secondary schools, as provided by the provinces and territories.
Enrolments in regular second language programs (or core language programs) reflect the following programs: programs in Canada outside Quebec, where French is taught to students attending English schools as a subject in the regular course offerings, and programs in Quebec, where English is taught to students attending French schools as a subject in the regular course offerings.
French immersion programs are programs with French as the language of instruction for students attending English schools throughout Canada.
Information on first official language programs for the linguistic minority is also collected; that is, enrolments in programs for students from the official language minority of each province or territory (French outside Quebec, English in Quebec). These programs allow children in the linguistic minority to pursue their education in their first official language.
Data on language programs are available in CANSIM table 477-0027.
All numbers, including the totals, have been rounded; therefore, sums of the values for the provinces/territories may not match the total counts for Canada. Calculations were done using unrounded values. All data are subject to revision.
The ESES collects enrolment and graduate information for three types of programs: regular programs, upgrading programs for adults and vocational programs. However, as reporting by category varies by province and territory, any detailed comparisons between the provinces and territories must be considered with caution.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
- Date modified: