2024 State of the Nation: K-12 e-Learning in Canada

The 17^th annual State of the Nation: K-12 e-Learning in Canada study describes the changes that have occurred in relation to e-learning governance and activity over the past year. Jurisdictional profiles describe the activity and nature of governance for each province and territory, as well as for Indigenous programs under federal jurisdiction. This report describes only the changes that have occurred, while full profiles remain on the project research website.

During the 2023-24 school year, students from all thirteen provinces and territories continued to participate in K-12 distance and online opportunities, with most western provinces’ enrollment levels remaining higher than the national average. Many jurisdictions continued to have primarily district-based programs, some in combination with provincial programs. The exception to this is mainly in Atlantic and Northern Canada, where the dominance of single jurisdiction-wide programs remains. While some jurisdictions, notably Ontario, continued with remote learning opportunities, most lapsed back to primarily classroom-based instruction with options for enrollment in pre-existing e-learning programs.

Provincial policy and funding changes, suspended during the pandemic and reinitiated in many jurisdictions, impacted both district-based and provincial programs. In British Columbia, the implementation of delayed policy changes for designated Provincial and District Online Learning Schools were in full implementation in the 2023-24 school year. SaskDLC, a Crown Corporation with the responsibility to deliver K-12 online learning in Saskatchewan, began enrolling students in September 2023. The mandatory e-learning in Ontario, and its subsequent impact on student enrollment, was fully implemented. In Québec, legislation regarding the primary role of the classroom, with the online environment only being supplemental if required, was passed. Finally, in the Atlantic provinces and northern territories, online learning activity remained relatively static over the past five years, even during the pandemic.

The 2023-24 school year saw a continuing low response rate from Ministries of Education to the request for enrollment data that began during the pandemic. While this lack of response does not impact the ability to report on the nature of regulation in each jurisdiction, it has impacted the ability to accurately reflect the level of activity in some jurisdictions. Of note, since Ontario implemented the requirement for students to take two online credits to graduate from secondary school, beginning with students graduating in 2023-24, while researchers documented increased roles for board-based e-learning programs, the Independent Learning Centre, and also a significant increase in private online schools in Ontario that operated province-wide but largely as international programs, student enrollment data over this period has not been provided.

The State of the Nation: K-12 e-Learning in Canada report, and its accompanying publications on its project website, provide critical information and insight into how Canadian educational authorities and governments are integrating technology-supported approaches to prepare students for today’s economy and a future society in which the use of technology will be ubiquitous. The report and website provide a benchmark for educators and offers background, guidance, and ideas for the improvement of policy and practice in online and blended learning.

You can access the English version of the report at https://k12sotn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/State_Nation_2024_English.pdf