Education and Schools in Toronto

Elementary and secondary schooling in Canada is free. The school system is first world, and is able to accommodate a child new to the country and for whom English and French are not first languages. In fact there are aids for most people who do not speak English, with languages like Punjabi, Vietnamese and German catered for. There are also extensive provision made for children with special needs.

 

The schools are largely funded from Canadian property tax. The local school board will usually place a child in the school that is in the childs area of residence, or alternatively where the necessary language skills are available. ‘Free’ schooling can still mean fees of up to $500 a year, however, with field trips and extra subjects that are not part of the graduate program often funded by parents. There is a running dispute at the moment as to whether or not these measures are legal.

 

Private schools are a different matter entirely. While there are scholarships for gifted students, the private schools are expensive costing around $12,000 per year. They tend to be more demanding of students, placing extra homework burdens upon them, and demanding a greater level of school participation.

 

There are many fine academic institutions in Toronto. The University of Toronto’s St George Campus is located in Downtown Toronto and its lands take up a significant portion of the inner city. This means that the wide green University grounds, student houses and subsequently the students form an important sector within Torontonian society. With Canadian universities, foreign students can pay up to four times as much as Canadian citizens for tertiary education.