Poor Canadian Students Can Still Go to College or University

Canadian students who grow up in poor or disadvantaged backgrounds can still do well enough in school to attend college or university.

Roughly four in 10 poor or “disadvantaged” Canadian students end up beating the odds and doing well in school. This is according to data from a study released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Their data shows that an impressive 39 per cent of Canadian students rise above their socio-economic background and do well in math, science and reading skills. This means Canada ranks 7th in this category, globally, behind China, South Korea, Singapore, Finland, Japan and Turkey.

The OECD’s Pablo Zoido feels Canada’s high ranking is thanks to our relatively strong education system functioning within a relatively equitable society.

“This is a nice combination,” Zoido told Postmedia News.

“You have a good education system, and the relationship between socio-economic background and performance is particularly weak in Canada.”

Students who come from poor families still face an uphill battle. According to data from the Canadian Association of University Teachers, only 60.8 per cent of youth with parents who make less than $50,000 per year end up taking post-secondary education.

This is compared to 73.1 per cent of students whose parents earn more than $75,000 and a whopping 80.9 per cent of students whose parents make more than $100,000 annually.