Ontario students are the best

Ontario students consistently place at or near the top in reading, math and science when compared to other jurisdictions in Canada and worldwide.

Ontario Grade 4 student reading abilities are among the best in the world. In the most recent Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) assessment taken by students in 45 countries and provinces around the world, only students in the Russian Federation and Hong Kong performed better than those in Ontario. There were 8 other jurisdictions in the same performance range as Ontario.

Ontario’s Grade 8 students ranked among the top 14 of 52 countries and provinces in science on the most recent Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessment.

And finally, 91% of Ontario Grade 10 students met or exceeded the critical science benchmark in the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study. What’s interesting about that study is the achievement gap between rich and poor students in Ontario was among the lowest in the world—making Ontario’s one of the few education systems in the world that can boast both excellence and equity.