Education Act and Mandate

The Education Act for New Brunswick is listed under Chapter E-1.12. The Mission Statement for public education as listed in the 1997-98 Department of Education Annual Report is, "To have each student develop the attributes needed to be a lifelong learner, to achieve personal fulfilment and to contribute to a productive, just and democratic society."

Collective Agreements

The Human Resources division of the Administration and Finance branch provides support services to districts for collective agreement interpretation. The New Brunswick Department of Education has separate collective agreements with:

  • the teachers:
  • additional school staff (e.g. clerical staff, librarians, and training assistants)
  • custodians and bus drivers; and
  • instructional staff at the community college level.

These collective agreements last from 3 to 4.5 years.

Public Education Overview and Learning Requirements

In New Brunswick free education programs and services, offered in both French and English, are provided from kindergarten (which is non-compulsory) to grade twelve. Children must attend school from age seven to their sixteenth birthday. The school year extends from early September to mid-June and includes 195 school days for teachers and 187 school days for students (Monday through Friday) with a total of 1440 minutes of instruction each week.

The Anglophone grading system is divided into three stages of schooling. Elementary School: Grades Primary-5; Middle School: Grades 6-8; and High School: Grades 9-12. High school is divided into two further stages: Foundation includes Grades 9 and 10, and Senior High includes Grades 11 and 12.

The Francophone grading system is divided into two stages of schooling. Primary School (Grades Primary to 8) and Secondary School (Grades 9 to 12).

There are no specified program goals for the stages of education in New Brunswick.

In grades nine and ten, English and Mathematics are taught year round. Other courses may have two semesters or be blocked over a period of time. Students may make up to two challenges for credit and may take one independent study course in grades eleven and twelve.

In addition to required courses, students must pass a Middle Language Arts Assessment and a Computer Literacy Skills Check-list prior to graduation. The pass-mark for all courses in New Brunswick is 50%.