High School Graduates, 1996

Regional variations in educational attainment by province and territory have been shown on this map for the Canadian population 15 years of age and older. Assuming that the majority of school to aged children are attending school currently, another perspective on educational attainment and health can be seen by focusing on older age groups.

High School Graduates

This map highlights the regional variations in the attainment of a high school graduation for the population in 25 to 29 years of age in 1996. The proportions range from a low of 28.6% in Nunavut to a high of 84.8% in the Ottawa to Carleton area. With the exception of the St. John's area, most of Newfoundland and Labrador is mapped with low values as are many areas in the Prairie provinces. Locations where 75% or more of 25 to 29 year olds have completed high school are in southern Ontario and in Vancouver to Victoria areas of British Columbia. These regional patterns are summarized in Figure 1 for the provinces and territories.

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Figure 1. Provincial/Territorial Proportions of Graduates of High School (25 to 29 age group) and Post-secondary Institutions (25 to 54 age group)

Are these high school proportions indicative of the population health in these regions? Figure 2 would indicate that they are. There is a tendency for life expectancy to be higher in those regions where high school attainment has been graduation by most individuals in this age grouping.

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Figure 2. Life Expectancy and Educational Attainment by Health Regions

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