Canadian education: grade levels
A comparison of the Canadian, American, British, German, and Polish grade level systems
Find a list of schoolsThe education system in Canada is an interesting one. And it continues to evolve.
Welcome to Our Kids.
We’re here to help you find the right school, the right way.
For more than 20 years we’ve worked with leading education and child development experts to explore and improve the school-choice process. The result is a robust suite of tools—used by over 2.6 million families every year—which enable you to choose your best-fit school among the 350+ profiled on this site.
We’re your virtual school-placement consultant: your personal guide to discovering, evaluating, and choosing the right school for your child.
Take 2 minutes now to open your free account. It will give you access to exclusive insights on how specific schools are a fit (or not) for your student’s learning needs.
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.
To further serve the families who turn to us, we've been working with Microsoft to innovate in support of online learning. To that end, we're pleased to announce the launch of the Our Kids Store by Microsoft.
Gain access to exclusive discounts on Surface products—from laptops to accessories that support remote learning—at the Store through your Our Kids account dashboard.
For each country, we highlight the years of compulsory education in blue.
Starting age |
Canada |
United States |
Britain |
France |
Germany |
Poland |
0+ |
Nursery |
Nursery |
Kinderkrippe |
Żłobek |
||
3-4 |
Preschool |
Nursery |
Petite section |
Kindergarten |
Przedszkole |
|
4-5 |
Junior kindergarten |
Preschool |
Reception |
Moyenne section |
Kindergarten |
Przedszkole |
5-6 |
Senior kindergarten |
Kindergarten |
Year 1 |
Grande section |
Kindergarten |
Zerówka |
6-7 |
Grade 1 |
Grade 1 |
Year 2 |
Cours préparatoire |
Grundschule |
Klasa 1 |
7-8 |
Grade 2 |
Grade 2 |
Year 3 |
Cours élémentaire première année |
Grundschule |
Klasa 2 |
8-9 |
Grade 3 |
Grade 3 |
Year 4 |
Cours élémentaire deuxième année |
Grundschule |
Klasa 3 |
9-10 |
Grade 4 |
Grade 4 |
Year 5 |
Cours moyen première année |
Grundschule |
Klasa 4 |
10-11 |
Grade 5 |
Grade 5 |
Year 6 |
Course moyen deuxième année |
Hauptschule |
Klasa 5 |
11-12 |
Grade 6 |
Grade 6 |
Year 7 |
Sixième |
Hauptschule |
Klasa 6 |
12-13 |
Grade 7 |
Grade 7 |
Year 8 |
Cinquième |
Hauptschule |
Klasa 7 |
13-14 |
Grade 8 |
Grade 8 |
Year 9 |
Quatrième |
Hauptschule |
Klasa 8 |
14-15 |
Grade 9 |
Grade 9 |
Year 10 |
Troisième |
Hauptschule |
Liceum 1 |
15-16 |
Grade 10 |
Grade 10 |
Year 11 |
Seconde |
Hauptschule |
Liceum 2 |
16-17 |
Grade 11 |
Grade 11 |
Year 12 |
Première |
Höhere Handelsschule |
Liceum 3 |
17-18 |
Grade 12 |
Grade 12 |
Year 13 |
Terminale |
Liceum 4 |
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. You can also learn how the Canadian education system compares with that of the US and Britain.
In Poland, compulsory education usually starts when children are 6 years old (zerówka or the so-called zero year), and ends after 12 years of learning.
In Britain (and all of the UK), compulsory education is 12 years. Children must attend school from the reception year (right before Year 1) until Year 11. In France and Germany, meanwhile, compulsory education runs 9 years, the North American equivalent of Grade 1 to 9.
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.