Strong Schools, Stronger Future: What Canadians Expect from Public Education

To explore how Canadians view public education, the latest wave of the Survey on Employment and Skills asked Canadians two questions about schools in their communities. The first addressed the objectives that schools should have, and the second assessed school performance.

The findings show that Canadians are most likely to rate teaching students the fundamentals in reading and math, and equipping students for the job market, as being critically important objectives for public schools. But majorities also see a range of other goals as critical, including teaching students how to be good citizens, how to manage their emotions, how to safely use the Internet and social media, and how to make healthy lifestyle choices.

On the question of school performance, roughly about two in five Canadians say that public schools in their communities are doing an excellent or very good job. An average of only 15 percent say schools are doing a poor job. School performance tends to be rated more positively in Quebec, and less positively in Newfoundland and Labrador, and in Saskatchewan. Younger adults, parents of school-aged children, racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples are also more likely to say that schools are doing an excellent or very good job at achieving their objectives.

Given the number of objectives that survey participants rated as important, the results suggest that Canadians have high expectations of public schools in their communities. In terms of performance, the message is somewhat mixed: a plurality finds schools doing well in all areas, but almost as many view their performance only as fair, while a smaller proportion of the public is even more critical. It is encouraging, however, that those who have had more recent direct contact with public schools in Canada – such as younger adults or those who have school-aged children in their household – tend to have more positive views of the how schools are doing.

The Survey on Employment and Skills is conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, in partnership with the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University and the Future Skills Centre. Wave 8 of the survey of 5,603 adult Canadians was conducted online (in the provinces) and by telephone (in the territories) between March 12 and April 15, 2025.

The questions covered in this report were developed in consultation with People for Education, an independent, charitable think tank working to support and advance public education through research, policy and public engagement. The Education Promise is an initiative of People for Education grounded in the belief that public education is one of Canada’s greatest assets for long-term resilience and prosperity.

This report was authored by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, which is responsible for the accuracy of the content. The analysis and interpretations expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of any of the other survey partners.

The Survey on Employment and Skills is funded primarily by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre / Le sondage sur l’emploi et les compétences est financé principalement par le Centre des Compétences futures du gouvernement du Canada.