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Participation rate in education, by age, 15- to 29- year-olds, Canada, 2009/2010

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Note: The participation rate is based on a monthly average from September to April and includes full-time and part-time attendance at school.
Source: Statistics Canada, Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program, PCEIP Table E.1.1, December 2010

Given that education is compulsory in all provinces and territories at least to the age of 16, it is not surprising that all but a very small percentage of youth aged 15 and 16 years old were attending high school in 2009/2010.

At the age of 17, 10% of youth were attending college and 2%, university. At this age, much of the participation in college in Canada is attributable to students in Quebec, where the typical student is expected to complete high school by grade 11 (ages 16 to 17), followed by attendance at a CEGEP for a two-year pre-university program or a three-year vocational program. In all other provinces and territories, high school is completed at the end of Grade 12, when most students are aged 17 and 18.

The highest rate of participation in college was among 19 year-olds, at 23%. The university participation rate peaked a little later, at age 21, reaching 33%. This reflects, in part, the longer length of most undergraduate programs compared to those at colleges.

By age 22, many students had completed a college program or a first university degree and the overall participation rate in education dropped below 40%. University participation rates were at 20% for 23 year-olds, after which participation rates in both colleges and universities declined steadily. At the age of 29, the participation rate in education was less than 10%.