Navigating Canada’s Government-Run School System.
Parents have a lot to think about when it comes to educating their kids. Making the right choice about a government-run school in Canada requires understanding what options are available, as well as knowing where to look for information about how well the school performs, what is being taught, rules and regulations.
In Canada’s public education system, parents are generally able to send their kids to a designated local public school based on a home address (sometimes called the “catchment” or school zone). However, every province has different rules on whether families can choose a school outside of that school zone.
See your province below to learn more about the rules and requirements for choosing a school:
British Columbia
In B.C., parents have a right to send their kids to the public school serving their catchment area (school zone). The province adopted a policy of “open enrollment” in 2002. Accordingly, parents may apply for transfer to a different public school (either in another catchment or even another school district). According to legislation, schools must first accommodate all the children in the catchment-area, but out-of-catchment requests can be approved if there is available space. In the spring prior to the school year, there is a registration period to request out-of-area enrollment. If a school has more applicants than spaces, a lottery or priority system is used (for example, a sibling of a current student may get priority).
Alberta
Alberta introduced the concept of “open boundaries” in 1995. Essentially, students are guaranteed a spot in their local neighborhood school, but parents may request enrollment at any public school in the province if there is space available. This means you can apply to schools outside your catchment or school zone and many Alberta school boards have “open boundaries.” Schools can shift to “closed boundaries” when they are full, which gives preference to local students within the school’s boundaries. Alberta’s Choice in Education Act explicitly outlines parents’ right to choose public, Catholic, Francophone, charter, or home education for their child. It is worth noting that Catholic schools in Alberta have to first permit Catholic students who live in their catchment area. Then, if space permits, they can approve Catholic or non-Catholic students from out of the area. Catholic schools in Alberta are open to all students, practically for enrollment, non-Catholic students seeking to enroll are treated the same way as out-of-area students (i.e. space permitting).
Saskatchewan
Parents in Saskatchewan are generally expected to send their kids to the local public school division corresponding to their home address. Each Saskatchewan school division has defined attendance boundaries. However, parents may request a transfer to a school outside their zone. The request is made to the division (school board) and may be approved if a number of requirements are met, including whether there is space and if it’s in the student’s interest.
Typically, an “out-of-area attendance application” must be submitted. For example, Regina Public Schools require an application for a “School Enrollment Exemption” to attend a non-neighborhood school. If approved, families usually must provide their own transportation. In 2024, there were four elementary schools with explicitly closed boundaries.
It’s worth noting that Saskatchewan also has separate Catholic public school divisions, and eligibility to attend those is generally based on religious designation (e.g. baptized Catholic) or a parental request, depending on local rules. Admitted students must commit to upholding the Catholic principles of the school.
Manitoba
Manitoba parents have a formal “Schools of Choice” program which facilitates access to public schools outside of local catchment areas or school divisions. By default, a student can attend the designated school in their local division, but parents can apply for a “Schools of Choice” transfer. There are two options: Within-Division Choice (to attend a different school in the same school division) and Out-of-Division Choice (to attend a school in a different division). These requests may be approved if the requested school has available space and the transfer doesn’t incur extra costs (extra transportation costs may be passed on to the parent). Like with many provinces, legislation guarantees a student will always have access to a local school, but parents may choose to send their child to another public school if accepted under the “Schools of Choice” program.
Ontario
In Ontario, parents are entitled to send their children to schools within the public (English) or Catholic school board serving their home area (depending on the family’s faith designation). Public school attendance is determined by catchment zones – a family’s address is linked to an elementary or secondary school in the local school board. Ontario school boards do commonly allow ‘Out of Area’ admission – parents can apply (through submitting a form to the board) for their child to attend a different public school than the one assigned. Each board has its own process, but they typically accept out-of-area students if space allows. A school can be “closed” to optional attendance – typically when they are at capacity – at which point out-of-boundary applications are not accepted. For example, the Toronto District School Board publishes an annual report on which schools are ‘open’ or ‘closed.’ Transportation is not provided for out-of-area students.
Ontario has multiple parallel public systems (English public, English Catholic, French public, French Catholic). However, in many cases, eligibility is restricted. For example, eligibility to attend a French-language school requires French-language rights (e.g. a parent or child with French educational background). Admission to elementary Catholic schools may be restricted to children from Catholic families on a case-by-case basis. However, it is typical for Catholic high schools to accept non-Catholic students (where space is available).
Quebec
Quebec’s public education system is divided by language. Access to the English public school system is tightly regulated by the provincial Charter of the French Language. In Quebec, most children must attend a French-language public school unless they have a government-issued Certificate of Eligibility for English education (generally granted if the child’s parent or sibling was educated in English in Canada). But typically, only families eligible for English schooling can choose an English school board, while all others will attend the French system.
Within each system, students are assigned to a local school (schools are managed by regional ‘Service Centres,’ or English School Boards). Similar to other provinces, parents can request a transfer to another school, subject to availability. According to Section 4 of the Education Act “Every student, or the student’s parents if the student is not of full age, shall have the right to choose, every year, the school that best reflects their preferences from among the schools that provide services to which the student is entitled.”
English boards often allow out-of-area admissions if, for example, a program (like an International Baccalaureate (IB) program or special arts) is offered at another school. Parents apply through the board, and requests are granted based on available space.
French service centres also typically require students to attend their local school, with exceptions similarly based on specialized programs which might not be offered at their local school. It’s important to note if a child is not eligible for English schooling in Quebec, parents cannot opt for an English public school at all – their choice will be among French public schools only.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick has two parallel public systems: English and French (Francophone). Unlike in Quebec, where there are also two language systems, parents do not face eligibility restrictions – any parent may enroll their child in either an English or Francophone school.
Within each of New Brunswick’s seven school districts (4 Anglophone, 3 Francophone), students are assigned to a neighborhood school. Parents are generally required to send their children to their local school, but intra-district transfer requests are possible. For example, Anglophone School District–West states that to attend a school other than your zoned school, you must submit a request to the district, and approval depends on space and the reason for transfer. Even after approval, out-of-zone students may be asked to return to their home school if the new school becomes overcrowded. The criteria for approval includes available space, no significant impact on enrollments, and the family arranging their own transportation. Parents must apply for permission on a yearly basis.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia’s public schools are administered by regional Education Centres (there are 7 regional centres for English schools) and 1 province-wide Acadian [French] elected School Board. By default, parents must send their children to the local school in their area, with each region having school boundary lines. Parents can request a transfer to another school in their region, typically by applying to the regional centre’s administration. Transfers may be granted for reasons such as program availability or special circumstances, and only if the requested school has room (for example, if a student wants to take a course or program only offered at a different high school). See the application process for the Halifax Regional Centre for Education and the Chignecto Regional Centre for Education for example.
The Acadian (French-first-language) school board (CSAP) covers the whole province for French-language education; eligibility to attend requires French-language rights similar to Quebec.
Prince Edward Island (PEI)
PEI is the smallest province and has a single English-language public school system (Public Schools Branch) and one French-language school board (La Commission scolaire de langue française). School attendance is determined by zoning – the Public Schools Branch (PSB) assigns students to schools based on catchment areas. Because of PEI’s size, there are fewer schools, and school choice is limited. Transfers can be requested to the PSB, but given the small scale, it usually happens only for practical reasons (like moving homes mid-year or specific program needs). PEI generally expects students to attend their local school; there is not a formal open enrollment program. If a family has a compelling reason for a different placement, they would appeal to the school authorities on a case-by-case basis.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland & Labrador (NL) has one English-language public school district (covering the whole province) and a small French school district. Schools are zoned by geography, and parents send their children to attend their zoned neighborhood school. Typically, there is not much flexibility for families looking outside their local public school, and transfers are approved only in specialized circumstances (like accessing a particular program not offered locally, or a student needing to attend a school closer to a parent’s workplace). These are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s English school district does not routinely allow open transfers for preference alone. However, residents have a right to “request a transfer to another school within the Public Schools system” which can be exercised by filling a Student Transfer Request form. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis that includes criteria such as a sibling attending the school for which the transfer is requested, the availability of alternate programs (for instance, the district offers some cross-catchment programs like skilled trades education or IB programs), and recommendations from the School Program Planning Team.
The Francophone school district in NL is extremely small with only a handful of French-first-language schools. Eligible French-language students simply attend the one francophone school or program that serves their region.
British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec
A helpful tool for parents is the Fraser Institute’s school rankings site. This free, online map looks at publicly available provincial test results and ranks both elementary and secondary schools across Alberta, BC, Ontario and Quebec. Parents can search for a school and view an academic “report card” – comparing its performance in key areas like reading, writing, and math, based on data from provincewide assessments. This allows parents to get a quick overview of a school’s academic outcomes, which can be useful when evaluating options.
Manitoba
The Government of Manitoba publishes provincial test results by school division as part of their K-12 education dashboard. The most recent data is for 2024.
Additional limited data is available by geographic region (urban, rural, Northern) and other categories. According to this classification, the percentage of students that “meet expectations” in reading and literacy are published for Grades 3 & 4. The percentage of Grade 9 students that attained an English language and mathematics credit are published here. These links contain historical data and results broken down by school type (i.e. English, French, or French Immersion).
Nova Scotia
While school-level data is not available, the Government of Nova Scotia publishes limited information by school division. Specifically, the percentage of Grade 3, 6, 8 and 10 students testing at or above the assessment expectation for reading, writing and mathematics is published annually, with the most recent data available for 2023-24 (and in some cases, 2024-25. Click here for data).
New Brunswick
The government of New Brunswick publishes school-level information, organized by school district. The reports include data for the percentage of students testing “at Appropriate and Above” levels compared to target guidelines for elementary, middle, and high school students. Depending on the grade, testing results are available for English and French Language Proficiency (Reading and Oral), Scientific Literacy and Mathematics. The data is presented as a school average contrasted with the district average and the provincial average, and also shows the three-year trend for the school average. For parents this can show comparatively how the school performs and also if things are moving in the right direction.
Newfoundland and Labrador
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador publishes data on the percentage of students that are meeting expectations (according to its definition) by school type (ie. French Immersion, English, with accommodations, etc). Data from 2023 is available here.
Academic data doesn’t always tell the whole story, and many parents rely on online reviews and community feedback to examine school quality and learning environments. Here are some ways to learn more about local public school options:
Google Reviews / Maps: Most public schools are listed on Google Maps, and many parents or students leave ratings and comments there. A quick search of the school’s name on Google will show those reviews – describing everything from teaching quality to school culture. While these comments can be helpful in identifying things like good teachers and school community, they are not moderated and can sometimes have emotional commentary.
Rate My Teachers: The website RateMyTeachers.com allows students (and parents) to rate and review individual teachers and schools. You can search by school name and province (the site has sections for Canada, with listings for each province’s schools). While the content is student-driven and should be taken with a grain of salt, it can highlight trends. For instance, you might see students praising a school’s math department or noting disciplinary issues. It’s an informal way to hear student voices about a school’s staff and courses. As it relies on feedback from students, there is sometimes insufficient input or none at all.
Facebook & Social Media: Many schools or parent associations have Facebook pages or groups. Checking for a school’s Facebook page can sometimes reveal reviews or community posts, and can show interested parents or students a snapshot of the school community, with events, or school information often being shared. Additionally, local community groups (on Facebook or apps like Nextdoor) often discuss schools – e.g. parents in a neighborhood group might share their experiences with the nearby schools and can be a valuable resource.
Reddit: Much like Google Reviews, Reddit relies on users of the forum to provide their own feedback. Those feedback posts are then voted positively or negatively by other users, which serves a natural accountability function. Reddit is much more active in some cities and provinces than others — but in some places, Reddit can be a valuable source for honest opinions on schools, or a good place to ask questions about schools and receive honest answers from other parents, students and community members.
Provincial Data: Some provinces survey students and parents on school climate and publish summary results. For instance, Ontario’s “School Climate Surveys” gauge how safe and included students feel. Checking if such results are available (on a school board’s website) can provide a broader community perspective. Results can be found easily on google like these results from Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board’s grade 4-6 students.
In using online reviews, remember that individual opinions vary. It’s always wise to look at multiple sources and, if possible, talk to other parents whose children attend the school.
Public schools in Canada are administered by school boards or divisions (districts). Below is a list of the school divisions in each province – essentially the organizations that run the public (and in some cases Catholic or Francophone) schools in that area. Knowing your school division is useful, as their websites provide calendars, transportation info, and local policies.
British Columbia
British Columbia is divided into 60 public school districts. Each district is numbered (historically from #5 to #93, with some numbers no longer used) and typically named after a region or city. B.C. school districts are generally organized by geographic region. #93 (Conseil Scolaire Francophone de la C.-B.) is the French-language school district that operates French-first-language public schools all across the province for students with French education rights. To see a map ‒ click here
Alberta
Alberta has 63 public school divisions (42 public school boards, 17 Catholic school boards and four French school boards).
List / Wiki List
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan has 27 school divisions, including public (18), separate (eight) (Catholic), and one provincial Francophone division.
Manitoba
Manitoba has 37 public school divisions/districts (including one province-wide Francophone division). They are often grouped by region. You can find a map of the various school boards if you click here.
Ontario
Ontario’s public education is administered by 72 school boards (districts). These include 31 English Public boards, 29 English Catholic boards, 4 French Public boards, and 8 French Catholic boards.
Ontario’s Find your School Tool
Quebec
Quebec’s public school system is organized into 60 French-language “centres de services scolaires” (school service centres) and 9 English-language school boards, with a few special-status boards. The French service centres were formerly known as commissions scolaires (school boards) before 2020.
Special Boards: The Cree School Board and Kativik School Board serve Indigenous communities (Cree and Inuit regions of Northern Quebec), and the Commission scolaire du Littoral serves isolated communities on the Lower North Shore. These are separate from the standard 60 French school service centres.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick has 7 school districts: four cover the English schools in different parts of NB, and three districts for French schools).
Map of Districts
List of Schools and Administrators
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia no longer has multiple English school boards – since 2018, all English schools are managed by the Provincial Education Common Services. There are seven English language Regional Centres for Education [CSAP]: Cape Breton–Victoria, Halifax, Chignecto-Central, Tri-County, Strait, Annapolis Valley, South Shore), and one French first-language school board: Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP). The French board (CSAP) serves all francophone schools across NS (the only board with elected members; the English centres are governed provincially). For practical purposes, parents in NS identify with their region (e.g., Halifax Regional Centre for Education instead of a “Halifax School Board”).
Map of Regional Centres for Education
List of Regional Centres for Education
Directory of Schools and Administrators
Prince Edward Island
PEI has two public school authorities: the Public Schools Branch (which manages the English schools across the island) and the Commission scolaire de langue française (which runs the handful of French-first-language schools). The Public Schools Branch is province-wide, with an office in Charlottetown – it replaced the earlier Eastern and Western school boards by consolidating them.
Map for Public Schools Branch
Link to Commission scolaire de langue française
List of all schools
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador has one main public school division, the Newfoundland & Labrador English School District, which operates all English public schools in the province (from urban St. John’s to remote coastal communities). There is also a Conseil scolaire francophone provincial for the small number of French-language schools (mostly in Labrador and the Port-au-Port peninsula). Until recently, NL had four English boards which merged into this single province-wide district. Therefore, NL’s public “divisions” are effectively: NLESD (English) and CSFP (French). Each operates under province-wide administration.
Website for Newfoundland and Labrador English School District
Website for Conseil scolaire francophone provincial
List of English schools with map
Map of French schools
Each province sets its own curriculum – the official programs of study that outline what students are expected to learn in each grade. Below are links to each province’s Ministry of Education curriculum page, along with a summary of that province’s educational goals and focus:
British Columbia: B.C. Curriculum
Alberta: Alberta K-12 Curriculum
Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan Curriculum
Manitoba: Manitoba Curriculum (Provincial Curriculum Frameworks)
Ontario: Ontario Curriculum and Resources
Quebec: Quebec Education Program
New Brunswick: New Brunswick Curriculum (Anglophone), New Brunswick Curriculum (Francophone)
Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Curriculum (English Programs), French as First Language Program
Prince Edward Island: PEI Curriculum
Newfoundland and Labrador: NL Curriculum (K-12 English), French Immersion
Each provincial government in Canada is responsible for the delivery of K-12 education – shaping the curriculum that schools must follow, determining regulations, etc. Here are links to each province’s education department:
