Country education guide
Canada
Education is governed by 10 provinces and three territories; Canada has no federal K–12 ministry or national curriculum.
📚 School stages
Grades, stages, and local pathways
Kindergarten
Entry ages and kindergarten structure vary by province or territory.
Elementary school
Each province or territory publishes its own curriculum and assessment requirements.
Junior high / secondary school
Grade divisions and transfer credit rules vary by jurisdiction.
Senior secondary / provincial diploma
Graduation requirements and examinations are provincial or territorial.
College / university
Institutions and provincial systems assess qualifications; CICIC indexes the responsible authorities.
📝 Examinations and qualifications
Selectable records for Canada
Each record links to the authority that publishes its current rules.
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
Ontario’s provincial secondary-school diploma, with cohort-specific compulsory-credit requirements.
- Completion or score rule
- Students need 30 credits, the provincial literacy requirement, two online-learning credits, and 40 community-involvement hours. Compulsory and optional credit counts, plus the financial-literacy requirement, depend on the Grade 9 entry cohort.
- Where it applies
- Ontario
B.C. Certificate of Graduation (Dogwood Diploma)
British Columbia’s provincial graduation credential for the Grade 10–12 Graduation Program.
- Completion or score rule
- Students need at least 80 course credits, including required Grade 12 and subject credits, and must complete the applicable provincial literacy and numeracy graduation assessments.
- Where it applies
- British Columbia
Alberta High School Diploma
Alberta’s principal high-school credential, earned through prescribed courses and credits.
- Completion or score rule
- The diploma requires at least 100 credits and the current mandatory courses. Credits are awarded from 50%; diploma-examination rules apply to the selected Grade 12 examination courses and session.
- Where it applies
- Alberta
Secondary School Diploma (SSD)
Diplôme d’études secondaires (DES)
Québec’s general-education secondary diploma, followed by CEGEP for the ordinary pre-university route.
- Completion or score rule
- The youth-sector SSD requires at least 54 Secondary IV–V credits, including at least 20 at Secondary V, the specified compulsory subjects, and a 60% course pass mark.
- Where it applies
- Québec
Manitoba High School Diploma
Manitoba’s provincial diploma, with English, Français, French Immersion, and Technology Education programme variants.
- Completion or score rule
- Students need at least 30 credits across Grades 9–12 and the compulsory credits for the selected diploma programme. A current policy sets additional handling for students presenting non-Canadian transcripts.
- Where it applies
- Manitoba
Saskatchewan Grade 12 standing
Saskatchewan’s provincial Grade 12 completion pathway, combining compulsory, specified-area, and elective credits.
- Completion or score rule
- Students must successfully complete 24 course credits, including the province’s required courses and specified areas of study.
- Where it applies
- Saskatchewan
Nova Scotia High School Graduation Diploma
Nova Scotia’s provincial high-school diploma, with an official newcomer guide for prior-learning and course selection.
- Completion or score rule
- Students need at least 18 credits, including 13 prescribed-area credits; no more than seven may be Grade 10 credits and at least five must be Grade 12 credits. A course is passed from 50%.
- Where it applies
- Nova Scotia
New Brunswick High School Diploma
New Brunswick’s provincial diploma, with anglophone and francophone sector requirements and cohort rules.
- Completion or score rule
- For the published 2026 pathway, students meet Grade 9 learning requirements, accumulate 100 credit hours, complete the prescribed clusters and career-life plan, achieve at least 60% in high-school courses, and obtain the applicable literacy credential.
- Where it applies
- New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island Senior High School Graduation Certificate
Prince Edward Island’s provincial senior-high credential, with different English/French Immersion and French First Language structures.
- Completion or score rule
- English and French Immersion students generally need at least 20 credits, including 11 specified-subject credits and five Grade 12 credits, with 50% to earn a course credit. The French First Language programme publishes a separate 25-credit structure.
- Where it applies
- Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador High School Diploma
Newfoundland and Labrador’s course-credit secondary diploma across Levels I–III.
- Completion or score rule
- Students require 36 credits across the published subject categories. Postsecondary entrance requirements remain programme-specific and may exceed the diploma minimum.
- Where it applies
- Newfoundland and Labrador
Yukon / B.C. Certificate of Graduation
Yukon follows British Columbia’s curriculum and Graduation Program while issuing the applicable high-school diploma locally.
- Completion or score rule
- Students in Grades 10–12 need at least 80 course credits, including the published required courses and Grade 12 credits, plus the applicable B.C.-aligned graduation assessments.
- Where it applies
- Yukon
NWT Senior Secondary School Diploma
The Northwest Territories is phasing in an adapted British Columbia curriculum and a new NWT Graduation Program.
- Completion or score rule
- Requirements depend on the student’s entry cohort during the transition. The current implementation guide identifies the applicable credits, NWT courses, and literacy/numeracy assessments; students already in the prior programme continue under its requirements.
- Where it applies
- Northwest Territories
Nunavut High School Diploma pathway
Nunavut develops and adapts K–12 curriculum for its public schools, including Nunavut-specific and partner-jurisdiction courses.
- Completion or score rule
- The current secondary programme, course-credit requirements, and approved courses are applied through the Nunavut Education Program and the student’s school plan.
- Where it applies
- Nunavut
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