Kenya to Canada school grades: which grade will your child join?

Kenyan classes and Canadian grades compared

Placement is by age

Most provinces place children by the calendar year they were born in: a child who turns 6 during the year starts Grade 1 in September. Quebec has its own structure, with Secondary 1 to 5 followed by CEGEP.

Because of the switch from 8-4-4 to the CBC, students of the same age can be in different grades, so check the age table rather than the grade name.

How school places work in Canada

You register with the local school board. Children are placed by age, and high school students have their earlier courses assessed for credits. In Quebec, most children of newcomers must attend a French-language school.

High school runs from Grade 9 to Grade 12 in most provinces. Each province sets its own diploma rules: Ontario asks for 30 credits and a literacy requirement, and Alberta students write diploma exams in Grade 12 courses.

The school system in Kenya

Kenya is moving from the old 8-4-4 system to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC): two years of pre-primary, six years of primary (Grade 1 to 6), three years of junior school (Grade 7 to 9) and three years of senior school (Grade 10 to 12). Older students who started secondary under 8-4-4 are in Form 3 or Form 4.

Under the CBC, students are assessed at the end of Grade 6 and Grade 9. Students in the 8-4-4 system sit the KCSE at the end of Form 4.

What changes in the classroom

• Kenyan students learn in English from the upper primary years, so most settle quickly into lessons taught in English.
• Canadian maths courses are split into streams in the senior grades, such as Ontario's MHF4U or Alberta's Math 30-1, and university programmes ask for specific courses.
• Canadian English courses expect analytical essays and close reading, and Grade 12 English is required for most university programmes.
• Classes are often smaller and more discussion-based, and students are expected to ask questions and work independently.

Arriving in the exam years

Students who arrive in Grade 11 or 12 should check with the guidance counsellor how their earlier courses count towards the provincial diploma and university entry.

Records and results to bring

• School reports for the last two or three years.
• Any the CBC assessments and the KCSE results, with the original certificates or result slips.
• Your child's exercise books or recent tests, which help a new teacher see their level.
• Bring report cards and exam results, translated if needed. Universities and employers often ask for an evaluation from WES or a provincial service.

Helping your child catch up

• Ask the new school for the topics covered so far this year and any assessments coming up.
• Book a tutor for maths and English in the first term, while the gaps are still small.
• Choose a tutor who knows the Canada curriculum and has taught students from Kenya.
• On Studoli, your first lesson with a tutor is free, and lessons take place online at times that fit around school.