National Adult Literacy Database

According to the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Canadian 15-year-olds scored above OECD averages in reading, math, and science literacy. Canada’s science scores put it in the top seven of 57 countries.

But while all of Canada’s provinces performed at or above the OECD average, the authors point out that there were significant differences among the results of individual provinces. Within Canada, students in Quebec and Alberta had the highest scores in math. Also, students in French-language schools outside of Quebec performed at a lower level in science than students enrolled in Anglophone schools.

The document includes charts showing international comparisons for math and reading scores.