Canadian education: grade levels

A comparison of the Canadian, American, British, German, and Polish grade level systems

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The education system in Canada is an interesting one. And it continues to evolve.

Below, we outline the different grade levels, and years of compulsory education, in Canada. We also compare the Canadian grade level system to that of five other countries—Poland, the United States, Britain, France, and Germany. 

For each country, we highlight the years of compulsory education in blue.

Canada’s grade levels compared to other countries

More on Canadian grade levels versus other countries

In Canada, students are required to go to school for at least 10 years. Like the US, school attendance in Canada is compulsory from grade 1 until at least grade 10. In some Canadian provinces and US states, though, students are required to complete high school, right through to the end of grade 12. If you're interested in the grade structures of Canada's 12 provinces, read our guide.

Poland

Poland is unique in that has only has 9 years of required education. Compulsory education in Poland starts at the age of 6, at the so-called zero year (zierowka) or grade zero and ends at the age of 14—the equivalent to grade 8 in many countries.

Britain

In Britain (and all of the UK), compulsory education is 10 years, like Canada and the United States. Children must attend school from the reception year (right before year 1) until year 9. In France and Germany, meanwhile, compulsory education runs 9 years, the North American equivalent of grade 1 to 9.

Germany

Also, in Germany, students, at age 12, can attend Realschule, Mittelschule, Gymnasium, or Gesamtschule, instead of Hauptschule. Each of these types of secondary school has a different focus and grade range.