Canada Primary and Secondary Education

Understanding students’ academic preparation in math and science is critical to ensuring success in STEM subjects. Scores from the international examination the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) allow analysis of the performance of boys and girls across various grades in the Canadian educational system. The PISA is a series of reports comparing 15-year-olds academic performance across subjects and countries.

2012-2022

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD), the 90th, mean, and 10th percentile scores in math have decreased 11-30 points in Canada in the last decade. A couple of the greatest changes are found in 10th percentile scores, with girls experiencing a drop of 24 points from 2012 (401) to 2022 (377) and boys experiencing a drop of 30 points from 2012 (403) to 2022 (373). In 2022, girls (377) outperformed boys (373) in 10th percentile scores.

Global Canada secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.38 and Table I.B1.5.39

 

Among mean scores, girls and boys scored almost the same between 2012-2022, reaching parity by 2022. In 2022, girls (389) outperformed boys (378) in 10th percentile scores by 11 points. 90th percentile scores experienced an increased of 4 points for girls and 3 points for boys between 2012 to 2022. 10th percentile and mean scores have decreased 9-25 points from 2012 to 2022. A couple of the greatest changes are found in 10th percentile scores, with girls experiencing a drop of 22 points from 2012 (411) to 2022 (389) and boys experiencing a drop of 25 points from 2012 (403) to 2022 (378).

Global Canada secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.44 and Table I.B1.5.45

 

The gender differences (calculated as boys-girls) in 90th percentile scores in math has been between 11 points to 25 points in favor of boys from 2012 to 2022. The gender differences in 90th percentile scores in science has been between 5 points to 12 points in favor of boys from 2012 to 2022.

Gender Differences in PISA 90th Percentile Scores in Canada in Math and Science in 2012-2022
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.40 and Table I.B1.5.46
*Gender differences calculated as boys-girls

 

In Canada, more boys than girls performed above a level 5 proficiency level (considered top performers) in math in the last decade. In 2022, 9.7% of girls were considered top performers compared to 15.1% of boys in Canada.

PISA Top Performance in Canada in Math by Gender in 2012-22
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.49

In Canada in 2022, boys (503) scored 12 points higher in mean scores than girls (491) in math. In science, girls (515) scored the same as boys (515), reflecting the gender parity found in average OECD scores in 2022.

PISA Math and Science Mean Scores in Canada by Gender in 2022
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.5.38, Table I.B1.5.39, Table I.B1.5.44, and Table I.B1.5.45

In 2022, more girls (22.0%) than boys (21.3%) performed below a level 2 proficiency level (considered low performers) in math. More boys (15.1%) than girls (9.7%) scored at or above a level 5 proficiency level (considered top performers) in math. In science, 14.2% of girls and 16.3% of boys were considered low performers. More boys (13.0%) than girls (10.8%) scored at the top performance level.

Global Canada secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.4.31 and Table I.B1.4.33
*Low Performance in Math (less than 420.07 score points)
*Top Performance in Math (at or above 606.99 score points)
*Low Performance in Science (less than 409.54 score points)
*Top Performance in Science (at or above 633.33 score points)

In 2022, girls scored lower math scores than boys across the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS). The gender difference (calculated as boys-girls) in math scores is greater in the top quarter (16 points) of ESCS when compared to the bottom quarter (11 points) of ESCS. The gender difference in science is 4 points in the top quarter of ESCS. Girls and boys from the bottom quarter of ESCS scored the same (479) in science in 2022.

Global Canada secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Table I.B1.4.34 and Table I.B1.4.36

In 2022, a higher share of girls (35.7%) were categorized as low performers from the bottom quarter of ESCS when compared to boys (33.0%) in math. More boys (27.4%) were categorized as top performers in math from the top quarter of ESCS when compared to the girls (18.0%) in the same group. In science, girls and boys who belonged to the bottom quarter of ESCS and were considered low performers comprised approximately one-fourth of students. The gender difference among top performers and students who belonged to the top quarter of ESCS was 4.4 percent in favor of boys.

Global Canada secondary
Source: OECD, PISA 2023 Database, Tables I.B1.4.37 and I.B1.4.39.
*Low Performance in Math (less than 420.07 score points)
*Top Performance in Math (at or above 606.99 score points)
*Low Performance in Science (less than 409.54 score points)
*Top Performance in Science (at or above 633.33 score points)

Resources

  • PISA 2022 Results. Retrieved from https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/pisa_19963777