School Age Calculator Canada
Enter details to determine when your child can start school.
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Kindergarten starting age in
AlbertaChild must be 5 years old by 31 Dec to start school.
Note: Results are based on information from provincial and territorial government departments, please consult your local school prior to enrolling.
Starting School in Canada
Preschool
A child's early education in Canada starts with daycare or preschool, which can start from as young as a few months old and continues until the child is old enough to enter the formal school system.
Preschool and daycare in Canada are not part of the government education system and are run by private operators, non-profits and community groups. There is no single curriculum, and programs mainly focus on early social and developmental skills.
Ontario is the exception with its Junior Kindergarten program — a publicly funded, formal first year for children who turn 4 by December 31st, one year ahead of most other provinces.
Elementary School
Elementary school in Canada starts with Kindergarten, where in most provinces and territories the child will commence in the year they turn five.
Each province and territory sets its own age requirements. Most use a cut-off of December 31st — a child must turn five by the end of the calendar year they start Kindergarten.
Quebec is the main exception, using an earlier cut-off of 30th September. Saskatchewan also differs, with a cut-off of 31st January. Select the province above for further information.
Ontario offers two years of kindergarten — Junior Kindergarten at age 4, followed by Senior Kindergarten at age 5 — both ahead of Grade 1.
Secondary School
The point at which secondary school begins varies more by province than in the US or UK. In most provinces, elementary school runs through to Grade 6 or 8, with secondary school beginning at Grade 7, 8 or 9 depending on the local school board.
Secondary school most commonly finishes at the end of Grade 12, when the student is 17 or 18 years old — except in Quebec, where secondary school finishes after Grade 11, followed by CEGEP (college) before university.
School Calendar
The school year in Canada almost universally begins the day after Labour Day — the first Monday of September — and runs through to late June the following year.
The school year is typically split into two semesters, or three terms depending on the province and school board.
Key Points
- Most provinces require a child to turn 5 by December 31st to start Kindergarten that year.
- Ontario is the exception, offering Junior Kindergarten from age 4, ahead of Senior Kindergarten at 5.
- Quebec (30 September) and Saskatchewan (31 January) use different cut-off dates to the rest of Canada.