Education at a Glance is the authoritative source of information on the state of education worldwide. It offers comprehensive data on the structure, financing, and performance of education systems across OECD countries and partner economies. This publication features more than 100 charts and tables that present key insights into the output of educational institutions, the impact of learning across countries, access and participation in education, financial investment in education, and the roles of teachers and school organisation. This country note provides an overview of the key characteristics of the education system in Canada. In line with this year’s thematic focus, it focus on teacher shortages while also covering other parts of the education system.

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 evaluates what students know and can do in science, reading, mathematics and computational problem-solving, assessing how effectively they can apply their knowledge to real-world challenges. The assessment also explores a range of broader competencies, attitudes and behaviours, including curiosity, perseverance and the use of artificial intelligence. PISA results provide valuable insights into the quality and equity of learning outcomes around the world, enabling educators and policymakers to learn from each other’s policies and practices. This country note provides a country-specific overview of Canada.

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have been among the OECD countries with the strongest growth in international student enrolment over the last decade. International students have significantly contributed to enrolment growth, shaped campus life and, in some countries, institutional finances. This report examines the journey and challenges of international students, from choosing where and what to study and obtaining a study visa/permit, to adapting academically, finding housing, integrating into local communities, progressing in their studies and navigating post-graduation pathways. After strong growth through the 2010s and a rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic, international student mobility is entering a more uncertain phase, with some countries tightening policies while others continue to expand international enrolment. By comparing six major OECD study destinations, the report highlights both shared challenges and emerging policy responses. It provides timely evidence on trends, challenges and policy responses related to international student enrolment at a time of growing public and policy attention. It is relevant for policymakers, higher education institutions and other stakeholders.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has the potential to address a range of goals, yet delivering on the potential of ECEC requires a workforce that is equipped and motivated to meet the unique demands of facilitating young children’s development, learning and well-being. The OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong) focuses on the ECEC workforce. In 2024, ECEC staff and leaders in 17 countries and subnational entities shared insights into a wide range of topics, including their working conditions, professional development opportunities and their work with young children.

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the world’s largest survey of teachers and principals. In 2024, educators from 55 education systems provided information about what they do and how they are doing. They explain if and how they use artificial intelligence, why they became teachers and if they wish to continue teaching. Governments use data from TALIS to make policies that improve teaching and learning conditions in their schools.

The Survey of Adult Skills offers unique insights on adults’ proficiency in literacy, numeracy, and problem solving. These skills are crucial for both personal and societal success, and form the foundation for continuous learning and innovation. In 2022-23, the survey assessed adults aged 16-65 in 31 countries and economies. By comparing results over time and with those of other participating countries and economies, participants can track the skill levels of its adult population, pinpoint barriers to skill development and use, and craft effective policies to address these challenges.

This report, linked with the Digital Education Outlook 2023, provides an overview of 29 countries' (or jurisdictions') digital education ecosystem and governance. Each chapter covers the devolution of responsibilities within countries; how it affects digital education; what digital tools for management and teaching and learning are made publicly available to schools, teachers and students; how they are provided or procured; how countries ensure the security, privacy, equity and effectiveness of this digital ecosystem while keeping incentives for private education technology (EdTech) companies. The information and analysis are based on a survey on digital education infrastructure and governance, interviews with national and regional government officials as well as desk-based research. Providing for the first time a holistic view of 29 countries' and jurisdictions' digital education ecosystem and governance, this report will be of interest to policy makers, academics and education stakeholders interested in the digital transformation of education at home and internationally.

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) examines what students know in reading, mathematics and science, and what they can do with what they know. It provides the most comprehensive and rigorous international assessment of student learning outcomes to date. Results from PISA indicate the quality and equity of learning outcomes attained around the world, and allow educators and policy makers to learn from the policies and practices applied in other countries. This country note provides a country-specific overview of Canada.

The Early Childhood Education and Care in a Digital World project was initiated to support countries and jurisdictions in investigating ways in which ECEC can respond to digitalisation, harnessing opportunities to promote high-quality and equitable early childhood education and care (ECEC) while minimising associated risks. The evidence base for the project includes responses to a policy survey, a collection of case studies across participating countries and jurisdictions, literature reviews from academic experts, and desk-based research carried out by the OECD Secretariat. The project’s final report, Empowering Young Children in the Digital Age (2023), was published as part of the OECD Starting Strong series. Six countries (Canada, Finland, Japan, Korea, Norway and Sweden) engaged more actively in the project and its data collection. This country note provides an overview of key findings from the project as they relate specifically to digitalisation challenges and ECEC policy responses in Canada.

Children’s learning, development and well-being are directly influenced by their daily interactions with other children, adults, their families and the environment. This interactive process is known as “process quality”, and leads to a key question – which policies set the best conditions for children to experience high-quality interactions in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings? This country note provides an overview of key findings from the project as they relate to the five main policy levers and their effect on process quality, focusing particularly on curriculum and pedagogy, and workforce development in Canada.

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the first international large-scale survey that provides a voice to teachers and school principals, who complete questionnaires about issues such as the professional development they have received; their teaching beliefs and practices; the assessment of their work and the feedback and recognition they receive; and various other school leadership, management and workplace issues. This note presents findings based on the reports of lower secondary teachers and their school leaders in mainstream public and private schools in Alberta (Canada).

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is the first international large-scale survey that provides a voice to teachers and school principals, who complete questionnaires about issues such as the professional development they have received; their teaching beliefs and practices; the assessment of their work and the feedback and recognition they receive; and various other school leadership, management and workplace issues. This note presents findings based on the reports of lower secondary teachers and their school leaders in mainstream public and private schools in Alberta (Canada).

This commentary on Canada is one of a series of country reports on vocational education and training (VET) in OECD countries, prepared as part of the Skills beyond School study. The series includes reviews, involving an in-depth analysis of a country system leading to a set of policy recommendations backed by analysis. The commentaries are simpler exercises than full reviews, largely descriptive but also including an assessment of strengths and challenges in the country system. The commentaries are designed to be of value as free-standing reports, but are also prepared so that they can become the first phase of a full review.

This policy profile on education in Canada is part of the Education Policy Outlook series, which presents comparative analysis of education policies and reforms across OECD countries. Building on the substantial comparative and sectorial policy knowledge base available within the OECD, the series also includes a biennial publication. It offers a comparative outlook on education policy by providing: a) analysis of individual countries' educational context, challenges and policies (education policy profiles) and of international trends and b) comparative insight on policies and reforms on selected topics.

This short country note recaps some Background on the 2014 OECD Measuring Innovation in Education report, the main Key report findings on innovation in education, the Report approach to measuring educational system innovation, along with Ontario's top five organisational education innovations for the 2003-2011 period and Ontario's top five pedagogic education innovations for the same interval.

This short country note recaps some Background on the 2014 OECD Measuring Innovation in Education report, the main Key report findings on innovation in education, the Report approach to measuring educational system innovation, along with Quebec's top five organisational education innovations for the 2003-2011 period and Quebec's top five pedagogic education innovations for the same interval.

In Canada, through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, all provinces and territories participate in a national assessment program that assesses student achievement in mathematics, reading, writing, and science on a four-year cycle. Each province and territory receives their own results as well as an analysis by language. This enables provinces to conduct a secondary analysis that can be used to inform teaching practices. The three Canadian provinces participating in the study, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, and Quebec, encourage schools to use school-level data to inform school planning. In the curriculum guides currently in use in Canadian provinces, the learning goals and standards are clearly articulated. For each learning outcome, suggested teaching and assessment strategies are included. Many provinces and jurisdictions in Canada have developed rubrics and exemplars so that common performance standards and criteria are set.

Chapter One of this report presents a general overview of the context of teacher training in Québec, the initiatives taken by the government and the school boards, and the factors underlying those initiatives. Chapter Two describes the school system, the various school populations and certain characteristics of teaching staff and their organizations, and summarizes their most important issues and concerns in this period of change. Teaching is a fairly sought-after profession in QuÈbec, and Chapter Three seeks to establish what attracts or may attract viable candidates. Chapter Four looks at initial teacher training, describing the training programs and the major changes that are under way and the challenges the universities face in this regard. Chapter Five focuses on the recruitment, selection and assignment of new teachers, and on hiring and induction mechanisms. Chapter Six addresses the issue of staff retention, which is not currently a problem in QuÈbec. Chapter Seven presents a synthesis of the results of consultations with the partners and identifies the underlying themes in their concerns and suggestions. Finally, it should be borne in mind that this report focuses on teachers in the youth sector, where school attendance is compulsory. It does not consider teachers in adult education and vocational training.

The main purpose of the thematic review on adult learning is to understand adults' access and participation in education and training and to enhance policies and approaches to increase incentives for adults to undertake learning activities in OECD countries. It is a joint activity undertaken by the OECD Education Committee (EDC) and the Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee (ELSAC) in response to the need to make lifelong learning a reality for all, to improve learning opportunities of low skilled and disadvantaged adults and to sustain and increase employability.