someone born in December will be 5 when they start grade 1 and turn 6 during grade 1 and be one of the youngest while someone born in January will start grade 1 at age 6 and turn 7 during grade 1 and be one of the oldest.) Grade 2 (ages 6–8 average age 7), Grade 3 (ages 7–9 average age 8) Grade 4 (ages 8–10 average age 9) Grade 5 (ages 9–11 average age 10 ) Grade 6 (ages 10–12 average age 11) Intermediate education Grade 7 (ages 11–13 average age 12) (Secondary School Starts here in Quebec) Grade 8 (ages 12–14 average age 13) (in some parts of B.C. high school starts in Grade 8) Grade 9 (ages 13–15 average age 14) Secondary education Grade 10 (ages 14–16 average age 15) Grade 11 (ages 15–17 average age 16)(Secondary education in Quebec stops here) Grade 12 (ages 16–18 average age 17) Tertiary education College: In Canada, the term college usually refers to a community college or a technical, applied arts, or applied science school. These are post-secondary institutions granting certificates, diplomas and, in some cases, bachelor's degrees. In Quebec, a diploma is also required from a college (CEGEP) to attend university and take the following forms: Pre-university program, two years (typically Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, or Arts) Professional program, three years (e.g. Paralegal, Dental Hygienist, Nursing, etc.) University: A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides undergraduate (bachelor's degree), graduate (master's degree), and postgraduate (Ph.D.) education. Graduate (or postgraduate) One or two years leading to a Master's degree. Three or more years leading to a Doctoral degree. Grade structure by province The following table shows how grades are organized in various provinces. Often, there will be exceptions within each province, both with terminology for groups, and which grades apply to each group. Notes: In British Columbia some schools may group together the higher Elementary and lower Secondary Grades. These schools are referred to as Middle Schools or Jr. Secondary Schools. Some Elementary Schools consist solely of grades K–5. Likewise, some Secondary Schools may only have grades 11 and 12. In addition, some school districts may use just elementary (K–7) and secondary (8–12) schools. British Columbia informally subcategorizes the Elementary level into "Primary" (K–3) and "Intermediate" (4–6 or 7). In Ontario, the terms used in French