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Ontario's once again being recognized as a leader in education excellence. A new report released by Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, shows that 90 per cent of Ontario's 25- to 64-year-olds have successfully completed high school - an increase of four percentage points since 2003. This is above the Canadian average of 88 per cent and is well above the average of countries represented in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of 74 per cent. The Pan Canadian Education Indicators Program report also shows that: ?84 per cent of Ontario students between the ages of 15 and 19 are enrolled in some level of education, which was above the Canadian average of 81.5 per cent. ?57 per cent of adults have either college- or university-level education - 64 per cent if trades or vocational education is included - representing an increase of seven percentage points since 2003. Investing in stronger schools is part of the McGuinty government's plan to help more students graduate, get jobs or move on to university, college or an apprenticeship. The McGuinty government is committed to protecting the gains made in education since 2003 to ensure every student succeeds. This includes continuing to roll out full-day kindergarten, maintaining smaller class sizes and preserving 20,000 teacher and support staff jobs. QUICK FACTS Ontario's high school graduation rate is now 82 per cent, up from 68 per cent in 2003-04. 70 per cent of Grades 3 and 6 students are mastering reading, writing and math skills. The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment in 2009 ranked Ontario students among the top 10 readers in the world. An international study "How the world's most improved school systems keep getting better," ranks Ontario's education system as one of the best in the world.

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Posted at 2019-02-20