Grading System in Canada: Common Scales and Regional Variation
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Canada’s common school grading scale runs from A+ to F, with A+ highest and F lowest; D is the minimum passing grade. Percentage equivalents are commonly used but are not a national rule.
Each province and territory sets its own grading rules through its ministry or department of education; there is no national grading body.
This page explains how to read Canadian grades, how they are set and reported, and how they compare with other systems. It also covers teaching students from Canada, the OSSLT, related grading systems and sources.
Reading the Canadian scale
The common Canadian letter-grade scale runs from A+ as the highest grade to F as the lowest, and D is the lowest passing grade.
| Grade | Meaning | Passing | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | Excellent | Yes | 90 to 100% |
| A | Excellent | Yes | 85 to 89% |
| A- | Excellent | Yes | 80 to 84% |
| B+ | Good | Yes | 76 to 79% |
| B | Good | Yes | 72 to 75% |
| B- | Good | Yes | 68 to 71% |
| C+ | Satisfactory | Yes | 64 to 67% |
| C | Satisfactory | Yes | 60 to 63% |
| C- | Marginal | Yes | 55 to 59% |
| D | Marginal | Yes | 50 to 54% |
| F | Failure | No | 0 to 49% |
Percent bands follow a widely used convention, not a national rule. The percentages are given as examples of the most commonly used grading scales by WES.
F means Failure.
Its percentage ranges are a widely used convention, not a national rule, so the percentage attached to a letter grade can depend on the school or province (WENR).
In British Columbia, C– is the lowest passing letter grade, and F means the student is not demonstrating minimally acceptable learning (Communicating Student Learning Guidelines).
Who sets Canadian grades and how they are reported
Provincial and territorial ministries or departments of education set school grading rules in Canada; no national body sets grading, and practices differ considerably between regions.
The Ontario curriculum sets provincial assessment and evaluation standards, with policy outlined in Growing Success. In British Columbia, the Ministry approves the letter grades and percentages that correspond to students’ demonstrated learning (WENR).
How Canadian grades compare with other systems
In British Columbia, for an external credential, the principal, vice-principal or director of instruction in charge of a school may examine a student’s records and assign a letter grade and percentage (Communicating Student Learning Guidelines).
Teaching students from Canada
Students from Canada may bring a Diplôme d’études secondaires (Secondary School Diploma). Record the document’s grades using the key shown on it, and check that the grades are entered accurately.
Set the scale up once in a gradebook so every report card and transcript you produce uses the same key.
Related grading systems
More pages in this section are on the way.
Sources and verification
- [1]ontario.ca. Student assessment, evaluations and report cards | ontario.ca. Accessed Sep 18, 2026. Official source
- [2]www2.gov.bc.ca. K-12 Student Reporting Policy - Communicating Student Learning Guidelines. pdf. Accessed Sep 18, 2026. Official source
- [3]curriculum.gov.bc.ca. A Framework for Classroom Assessment. pdf. Accessed Sep 18, 2026. Official source
- [4]wenr.wes.org. Canada: Secondary Education - WENR. Accessed Sep 18, 2026. Credential evaluator
The facts on this page were last verified on Sep 24, 2026. Suggest a correction
Frequently asked questions
What is a passing grade in Canada?
In the commonly used Canadian scale, D is the lowest passing grade, while F is a failure. Grading rules vary by province and territory, so the pass mark can differ by region; in British Columbia, C– is the lowest passing letter grade.
Do schools in Canada use percentages for grades?
Yes. Percentage equivalents are commonly used with Canadian letter grades, but they are a widely used convention rather than a national rule, and the percentage attached to a letter grade can depend on the school or province.
Is a B- a good grade in Canada?
Yes. On the commonly used Canadian scale, B- is classified as Good and corresponds to 68–71%.
