Preschool and junior kindergarten are not required components of Canadian education. In fact, Ontario is the only province that offers preschool, also called junior kindergarten. In some provinces, particularly the Prairie Provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, kindergarten is not required at all. While many schools do offer kindergarten as an option, many small town schools within these provinces are not equipped with a program and students begin school in the first grade.
Many schools in Ontario and Alberta have publicly funded school districts and boards based on Catholic and Protestant religions, although this is becoming less and less common. In all provinces except Alberta, schools are run by a school board filled with members elected by those who live within the district. These boards have full authority over the school. Alberta, however, allows independent schools that are under the jurisdiction of the province.
There are French-speaking private schools all over Canada, but Quebec holds most of them in addition to French-speaking public schools. Students have the option to attend preschool or kindergarten, but must begin school at age 6. All students in Quebec are required by law to attend a French-speaking public school through the end of high school, unless a parent attended an English-speaking school. For those in Quebec, high school ends at grade 11 and students who wish to go on to university attend a two-year pre-university program called Collège D'enseignement Général et Professionnel. Those who do not wish to attend university typically go to a technical school for three years. Students are free to study in English or French at the university level.
Canada is home to more than 100 universities, which are conducted in both English and French. Students earn an undergraduate degree in three or four years, depending on the institution. Quebec and British Columbia receive the most funding from their provinces, therefore making them much cheaper options for Canadian students. Universities in Canada attract a wide range of students from all over the world. The most well-known universities in Canada include Concordia and McGill University.