Population: 9,058,297
Number of K-12 Schools: 2,700
Number of K-12 Students: 1,193,793
—
Number of K-12 Distance Learning Programs: 135+
Number of K-12 Distance Learning Students: ~41,000+

Note that these profiles are taken from the most recent edition of the report, please review additional annual profiles below.

Governance and Regulation

Historically, school boards have held the primary responsibility for distance education policies and regulations. However, the Loi sur l’instruction publique prevented any formal full-time online learning (and relegated supplemental online learning programs to providers that must cooperate with the brick-and-mortar schools). A 2017 amendment to the Loi sur l’instruction publique (i.e., Bill 144) allowed the Minister to authorize distance learning pilot projects (see Government of Quebec [2023] for more information). As part of measure 19 of the Digital Action Plan for Education and Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Higher Education, 2018), and as provided for in section 459.5.3 of the Loi sur l’instruction publique (Government of Quebec, 2017), the innovation component of the distance learning pilot project was implemented at the start of the 2021 school year and continues until June 2026. The objectives of the pilot project are to experiment or innovate in distance learning and to document the process in order to enrich practices. The delivery model for these distance learning pilot projects was described as:

Comodal – This mode involves one or more students face-to-face and at a distance. The remote student follows the course simultaneously with the students of the class with the consent of all persons concerned, if applicable.

Comodal asynchronous alternation – This mode offers the possibility of following online courses offline (asynchronous) and sometimes take lessons simultaneously with their class (comodal) with the consent of all persons concerned, if applicable. (Government of Quebec, 2022, p. 3)

On December 7, 2023, the Projet de loi n° 23, Loi modifiant principalement la Loi sur l’instruction publique et édictant la Loi sur l’Institut national d’excellence en éducation was adopted, which made distance education services possible, by regulation, in two contexts: (1) exceptional or unforeseeable situations and (2) special home or hospital teaching services. Since the regulation is not currently in force, the corresponding legal provision does not apply. Therefore, reference must be made to section 459.5.3 of the applicable legislation.

Private schools are regulated by the Loi sur l’enseignement privé, but section 459.5.3 of the Loi sur l’instruction publique also includes private institutions: Under such a project, it may: (1) offer distance education services, authorize a school service centre or an educational institution governed by the Loi sur l’enseignement privé (chapter E-9.1) to offer such services, or authorize a person to receive them according to standards different from those set out in the Loi sur l’instruction publique and the Loi sur l’enseignement privé, while ensuring respect for the right to free educational services.

K-12 Distance and Online Learning Activity

During the 2024-25 school year, there were 130 distance learning pilot projects, spread over 72 educational establishments and organizations. The Ministry of Education did not include how many students were involved in these 130 distance learning pilot projects, but data from the 2023-24 school year indicated that there were 117 distance learning pilot projects, spread over 63 educational establishments and organizations involving 3,012 students. Additionally, the Ministry of Education reported there was only a single pilot project (Innovation) approved that focused on distance education approved during the 2024-2025 school years, and data from the annual reports for 2025 would provide a more accurate picture of the number of students involved, and if they were still being analyzed.

Beyond these pilot projects, there were three known distance learning programs in Quebec. The largest distance education program was Société de formation à distance (SOFAD), which primarily develops and produces correspondence distance learning materials that school boards utilize in their own district-based programs. The most recent data on enrollment is from the 2023-24 school year when their partner school districts had 33,710 pupils representing 73,408 enrollments in their Adult Education distance programming and 2,484 pupils representing 7,975 enrollments in their Vocational Training distance programming. Additionally, during the 2024-25 school year LEARN provided administrative and technical support to the Western Quebec School Board Virtual Campus, which enrolled 77 students (and was one of the pilot projects referenced above). Finally, there are two additional distance learning programs that were in operation during the 2024-25 school year: the Quebec Online School and the Centre d’apprentissage en ligne de la CSSBE (operated by the Beauce-Etchemin School Board). However, no enrollment data was provided by either program.

K-12 Blended Learning Activity

It should be noted that the “distance learning pilot projects” described above include both online learning and blended learning activities (and the data were not separated between the two modalities). These distance learning pilot projects were classified under the following distinct categories:

  • 29 projects were designed to help students maintain their learning while participating in sports or cultural activities that cause frequent absences;
  • 12 projects focused on supporting a defined group of students with specific needs;
  • 20 projects provided access to specific courses for selected students;
  • 42 allowed students who are unable to attend school for medical reasons to continue their learning; and
  • 27 projects supported learning during extreme weather or unexpected events.

Based on the descriptions provided in these categories, it is assumed that the majority of the 130 projects were focused on distance or online learning.

There are potentially two programs that provide blended learning in Quebec. In addition to their distance offerings, LEARN provides its services and resources – such as tutoring, tailored pedagogical content, training, community learning centres’ support, academic peer review articles, curated resources, and enrichment activities – to stakeholders across the province in a blended format. During the 2024-25 school year, LEARN registered 3,115 students who attended 39,453 appointments. Finally, the Écoles en réseau (i.e., Networked Schools) was a blended learning program that was active for over a decade. However, reference to the program can no longer be found to it online, and there has been no contact from the program with the research team in several years – so it is assumed the program has ceased.

References

Government of Quebec. (2017). An Act to amend the Education Act and other legislative provisions concerning mainly free educational services and compulsory school attendance. https://www.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/Fichiers_client/lois_et_reglements/LoisAnnuelles/en/2017/2017C23A.PDF

Government of Quebec. (2022). Projet pilote en formation à distance – volet innovation. https://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/education/PAN_Guide_explicatif_projet_pilote_FAD.pdf

Government of Quebec. (2023). Projets pilotes en formation à distance. https://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/etablissements-scolaires-publics-et-prives/aide-et-soutien/projets-pilotes-en-formation-a-distance/

Ministry of Education and Higher Education. (2018). Digital action plan for education and higher education. Government of Québec. http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/ministere/PAN_Plan_action_VA.pdf

Previous Provincial Profiles

History of K-12 E-Learning

The history of distance learning in Quebec began in 1946 with the creation of the Office des cours par correspondance, which was attached to the Ministry of Social Services and Youth (at the time there was then no Ministry of Education) and served vocational and professional education. In 1972, the service was extended to general education, then to Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) courses in 1983, and to the English-speaking community in 1992.

Adult education was provided through television in the 1960s, mainly by the University of Montreal and through community television (TEVEC) in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean area.  In 1996, distance education at the secondary level was transferred from the Ministry of Education to the Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec (SOFAD), a non-profit organization administered by representatives of various school boards.

Most K-12 distance education in Quebec is still limited to students 16 years and older enrolled in adult education and vocational schools. Courses are mostly offered in print form. It is only recently that a few school boards have started offering online distance education. The one notable exception is The Leading English Education and Resource Network (LEARN), created in 2004 by amalgamating the Distance Education and Community Network (inaugurated in 1999) the English and Resources Network, and the Quebec English Schools Network. These initiatives relied on the Chambers Report (Provincial Government Task Force on English Language Education in Quebec, 1992) which recommended that English school boards use digital networks to improve educational services to the English community. LEARN has since been very proactive in developing K-12 distance learning services in Quebec.

Please see Soixante ans de formation à distance au Québec for more details (Comité de liaison interordres en formation à distance, 2007).

References

Comité de liaison interordres en formation à distance. (2007).  Soixante ans de formation à distance au Québec. https://sofad.qc.ca/media/60_ans_fd.pdf

Program Profiles

Vignettes

Brief Issue Papers

Individual Program Survey Responses

Program Most recent response  Medium  # of Students  # of Teachers  # of Courses 
Centre d’apprentissage en ligne de la CSBE 2016-17 Online 1,584 53 part time  36
L’École en réseau/Networked Schools
eer.qc.ca/		 2016-17 Online/Blended* 5,000+ 300 full time
Learn Virtual Campus
www.learnquebec.ca		 2023-24 Online
Blended		 ~1,560 online
~40,000 tutorial
160 blended		 6 full time
240 part time
6 blended		 Full program online
7 blended
Quebec Online School 2022-23 Online 90 3 full time 3
Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec
edusofad.qc.ca		 2020-21 Correspondence ** ***
35 editors & IT specialists
~100 external resources

* L’École en réseau uses a model where classroom teachers and students are connected through video conferencing and a knowledge management system.
** Enrollment is done through the school boards.
*** Teachers (i.e., markers/graders) are hired by the individual participating school boards and there is no program-wide data available.

To update this information, visit http://tinyurl.com/sotn-program-survey

Inter-provincial and International

If a student living in Quebec completes a distance education course from a program located in another province or territory, provided the student has an official document (e.g., transcript) issued from the jurisdiction in question attesting to the student’s successful course completion, credit can be provided using the same process for students transferring from another jurisdiction.  The student can present a request to the Centre d’éducation des adultes du Québec to have his or her academic record evaluated.  If the course is considered equivalent, credit is granted.  If the distance education course is from a program in another country, the responsibility is to the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion, which analyzes those achievements on a whole diploma, but not a single course basis.

In instances where a student living in another province or territory, or another country, can not pass exams in Quebec (unless they are resident in Quebec). Successful completion of exams for Quebec residents provide course credits.