Education

Educational Disparities in High School Completion (2021)
In 2021, significant gaps in high school completion rates persisted between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in Canada. Among those aged 18 to 24:

• 52.2% of First Nations youth living on reserve had completed high school,

• 73.3% of First Nations youth living off reserve,

• 82.0% of Métis youth, and

• 50.1% of Inuit youth had earned a high school diploma or equivalent.

In comparison, 89.6% of non-Indigenous youth in the same age group had completed high school.

Barriers to Quality Education in Remote Indigenous Communities
Indigenous students in remote and northern communities often face major challenges accessing quality education.

• Indigenous students in remote or northern communities often lack access to fully staffed, resourced, safe and culturally appropriate schools. These students are also more likely to travel long distances or leave their communities entirely to attend secondary or postsecondary institutions.
• In 2021, location significantly affected high school completion rates for Indigenous Peoples aged 19 to 45. First Nations individuals in easily accessible areas were 2.5 times more likely to have completed high school than those in very remote areas. For Métis, the odds were 2.6 times higher, and for Inuit, the likelihood nearly doubled.

Indigenous Education Systems in Canada Have Faced Decades of Chronic Underfunding & Underfunding Still Continues

• Since the mid-1990s to 2015, federal funding for First Nations and Inuit education had been capped at 2% annually, despite rising populations and inflation. This funding formula failed to account for the real costs of operating modern schools, including libraries, student assessments, technology, special education, and culturally relevant programming.
• Today, research from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) shows that funding for inclusive education is currently 2.5 to 5 times lower than what Indigenous communities actually need.

  Other key challenges include:

  • Requests for increased funding from Indigenous communities are often ignored by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).

  • The current funding model (IRFF) is overly complex, prone to calculation errors, and often excludes critical data.

  • Delayed funding makes it difficult for Indigenous communities to effectively plan and manage education services.

Indigenous Racism and Exclusion in Education

• Many classrooms still centre Eurocentric knowledge and authority, often at the expense of Indigenous worldviews and ways of learning. This ongoing bias, rooted in colonialism, continues to marginalize Indigenous students.
• Indigenous students often face racism, social isolation, and the devaluing of their cultural knowledge by both peers and educators. These experiences contribute to school avoidance, lower engagement, and reduced academic achievement.