September 30, 2020
First school year: 2025–26
Estimated final school year ends: 2037
Usual starting year · This estimate assumes your child moves up one grade each year. An early or delayed start, repeating or skipping a grade will change the dates.
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Quebec · Canada kindergarten and school timeline
Planning school in Quebec? This is five-year-old kindergarten. Primary has six years and secondary five; CEGEP is a separate post-secondary stage, not Grades 12–13.
When can my child start school?
Your child normally needs to turn 5 on or before September 30.
This is five-year-old kindergarten. Primary has six years and secondary five; CEGEP is a separate post-secondary stage, not Grades 12–13.
Official sources →Page, results and downloads: English
Estimated school pathway
This estimate assumes your child moves up one grade each year. An early or delayed start, repeating or skipping a grade will change the dates. Check starting arrangements and graduation requirements with your child’s school.
Most displayed pathways continue through Grade 12. Quebec instead has six primary and five secondary years; the table ends at Secondary V, with CEGEP outside this estimate.
This is five-year-old kindergarten. Primary has six years and secondary five; CEGEP is a separate post-secondary stage, not Grades 12–13.
| School year | Year / class | Education stage | Age reached in starting calendar year |
|---|
Sources checked: 2026-10-21 · 2026-10-21.2
How school entry works
The calculation starts with the five-year-old kindergarten year, or Grade Primary in Nova Scotia. It does not automatically add Junior Kindergarten or a four-year-old programme.
Most displayed pathways continue through Grade 12. Quebec instead has six primary and five secondary years; the table ends at Secondary V, with CEGEP outside this estimate.
Before you enrol
Check the school board or education authority, language-of-instruction eligibility, catchment and registration window. A birthday calculation does not select an English, French or immersion programme.
What this estimate does not decide
School groupings, repeated years, early admission and transfers can alter the pathway. An estimated final year is not a guarantee of graduation.
Worked examples
October 1, 2020
First school year: 2026–27
Estimated final school year ends: 2038
Usual starting year · This estimate assumes your child moves up one grade each year. An early or delayed start, repeating or skipping a grade will change the dates.
Questions parents ask
Does this include Junior Kindergarten?
The calculator starts with the five-year-old year. Earlier four-year-old programmes are described separately.
Why is Quebec’s timeline shorter?
It ends after Secondary V. CEGEP is a separate pathway and is not invented as Grade 12.
Are province and school-board rules always identical?
No. Saskatchewan requires school-division selection, and local procedures elsewhere still need checking.
Can I use an earlier birthday?
Yes, but the result projects current rules backwards and is not a verified historical placement.
Official sources
Sources checked: 2026-10-21 · 2026-10-21.2