Back to school... by the numbers

2014

Just in time for "back to school," here are some selected numbers on assorted topics related to education and students of all ages in Canada.

(Last updated: July 30, 2014)

Public elementary and secondary enrolment

  • 5,032,183 — The total number of students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in Canada in 2011/2012, down 0.4% from 2010/2011.

Source: "Elementary-Secondary Education Survey for Canada, the provinces and territories, 2012," The Daily, Wednesday, December 4, 2013.

Post secondary enrolments and graduates

  • 1,996,200 — The total number of students enrolled in Canadian universities and colleges in 2011/2012, up 1.9% compared with 2010/2011.

These fields of study have been the top three in terms of enrolments for over a decade:

  • humanities
  • business, management and public administration
  • social and behavioural sciences and law

In 2011, the following three fields of study accounted for about half of those receiving qualifications:

  • 22% — The proportion of qualifications received by graduates in 2011 that were in business, management and public administration.
  • 15% — The proportion of qualifications received by graduates in 2011 that were in social and behavioural sciences and law.
  • 14% — The proportion of qualifications received by graduates in 2011 that were in health, parks, recreation and fitness.

Source: "Public postsecondary enrolments and graduates, 2011/2012," The Daily, Wednesday, November 27, 2013.

  • 64% — The proportion of adults aged 25 to 64 who had postsecondary qualifications in Canada in 2011.

Source: 2011 National Household Survey, Education in Canada: Attainment, Field of Study and Location of Study.

See also: Tables by subject: Education, training and learning in Summary tables; Education, training and learning in Statistics by subject.

Apprenticeship training programs

  • 444,672 — Total number of registrations in apprenticeship training programs across Canada in 2012, up 4.3% from 2011.

Source: "Registered apprenticeship training programs, 2012," The Daily, Wednesday, June 11, 2014.

Teachers and professors

  • 756,900 — The number of teachers and professors in Canada as of June 2014. Of these, 32% were men and 68% were women. The majority of teachers and professors—81%—worked full time.

The National Occupational Classification 'Teachers and professors' includes university professors and assistants, college and other vocational instructors, secondary and elementary school teachers and educational counsellors.

Source: CANSIM, table 282-0009.

A profession dominated by women

  • 84% — The proportion of women among all elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 227,810 — The number of female elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 43,390 — The number of male elementary school and kindergarten teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 59% — The proportion of women among all secondary school teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 101,960 — The number of female secondary school teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 72,015 — The number of male secondary school teachers in Canada in 2011.
  • 97% — The proportion of women among all early childhood educators and assistants in Canada in 2011.
  • 181,705 — The number of female early childhood educators and assistants in Canada in 2011.
  • 6,050 — The number of male early childhood educators and assistants in Canada in 2011.

Sources: 2011 National Household Survey, Table 2 The 20 most common occupations among women aged 15 years and over and the share of women in the total workforce, May 2011; Tabulation: Occupation - National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2011 (691), Class of Worker (5), Age Groups (13B) and Sex (3) for the Employed Labour Force Aged 15 Years and Over, in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey.

Tuition fees

  • $5,772 — The average amount paid in tuition fees by Canadian full-time undergraduate students in the 2013/2014 academic year, compared with $5,586 the previous year.
  • $6,053 — The average amount paid in tuition fees by Canadian full-time graduate students in the 2013/2014 academic year, compared with $5,916 the previous year.

Source: "University tuition fees, 2013/2014", The Daily, Thursday, September 12, 2013.

Household spending on education

According to the Survey of Household Spending:

  • $1,386 — The average expenditure on education* by all households in Canada in 2012.

*Expenditure on education includes:

  • Tuition fees for kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools
  • Tuition fees for university
  • Tuition fees for other post secondary education (college, trade and professional courses)
  • Other educational services
  • Other courses and lessons (excluding driving lessons)
  • Textbooks and school supplies

Source: CANSIM, table 203-0021.

Clothes for "back to school"

For some kids, "back to school" may mean it is time to get outfitted with an entire new wardrobe. For others, it may mean replacing clothes that they have outgrown or worn out during the summer months.

Here are the total annual sales in 2013 across Canada for these selected categories, from the Retail Commodity Survey:

  • $803.4 million — The total annual value of sales of girls' clothing and accessories in Canada in 2013.
  • $762.4 million — The total annual value of sales of boys' clothing and accessories in Canada in 2013.

Source: CANSIM, table 080-0022.

Learning limitations

  • 622,260— The approximate number of Canadians aged 15 years and older in Canada in 2012 who reported having a learning disability.
  • 2.3% — The proportion of Canadians aged 15 years and older in Canada in 2012 who reported having a learning disability.

Source: Canadian Survey on Disability.

Coming soon: A fact sheet on Learning disabilities, autumn 2014.

  • 121,080 — The approximate number of Canadians aged 5 to 14 in Canada in 2006 who reported having a learning limitation.
  • 3.2% — The proportion of Canadians aged 5 to 14 in Canada in 2006 who reported having a learning limitation.

Source: Participation and Activity Limitation Survey 2006: Fact Sheet, Facts on Learning Limitations.

Helpful hints

For more data and analysis on education, consult Education, training and learning in Statistics by subject, as well as Education in Canada: Attainment, Field of Study and Location of Study.

You can also search for available data in CANSIM by subject, Education, training and learning and in CANSIM by survey.

Resources for teachers and students

Statistics Canada produces teacher's kits and other publications designed to enhance learning and promote understanding of statistical concepts. Here are some examples:

Behind the data

Definitions, data sources and methods

Canadian Agriculture at a Glance

Canada at a glance

Coming Soon: Human Activity and the Environment teacher's kit. This educational resource provides instructors with innovative materials, lesson plans and case study assignments to accompany the 2013 release of the Human Activity and the Environment article, Measuring ecosystem goods and services in Canada." Resources were developed for a junior high school, senior high school and introductory post secondary audience.

For more information about this page or for help finding more data, contact Media Relations.

See features on many other subjects in By the numbers.

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