Program directory · Department of Indigenous Services
Elementary and Secondary Education
- Department
- Department of Indigenous Services
- Program code
- BYP11 (INDSC)
- Core responsibility
- Indigenous Well-Being and Self-Determination
- In Departmental Plans
- 2023-24 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
The Elementary and Secondary Education program supports elementary and secondary education for First Nations students by working in partnership with First Nations to help close the education outcomes gaps between First Nations Peoples and other Canadians. Funding for elementary and secondary education is provided through interim regional funding formulas or regional education agreements to First Nations, and organizations designated by First Nations, to support elementary and secondary instruction, culturally-appropriate education programming, language and culture programming, full-day kindergarten programs, adult education programs, school nutrition programming, and before and after-school programs.
The Elementary and Secondary Education program suite also provides funding for targeted programs: High-Cost Special Education, Innovation in Education, Research and Learning, First Nations and Inuit Cultural Education Centres, and the Education Partnerships Program. Indigenous Services Canada also supports adult learners on reserve through the First Nations Adult Secondary Education and First Nations Adult Education mechanisms. The department is working in partnership with First Nations to develop additional local and regional education agreements that respond to First Nations education goals and priorities.
These education goals and priorities will be co-developed through regional discussion tables. Agreements will be comprehensive and should address federal support for First Nations elementary and secondary education, establish clear roles and responsibilities for First Nations-led service delivery, and mutual accountability mechanisms. Regional education agreements vary by region and will include results frameworks that reflect First Nations needs and priorities.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2023-24. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary and Secondary Education | This program | 2023-24 – 2028-29 | $6.37B |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Budget 2024 measure “First Nations Elementary and Secondary Education”: $55M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2024, PDF page 406 |
| 2025 | Budget 2025 measure “Funding for First Nations Elementary and Secondary Education”: $155M in total over its years (linked to this program by name, a best-effort match). | Budget 2025, PDF page 284 |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | — | — | 8,261 Data includes only students who are eligible for funding by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). Kindergarten services include both kindergarten age 4 (Junior Kindergarten) and age 5 (Kindergarten). | No result reported |
| 2024-25 | Maintain or increase results year over year | 2025 | 8303 | Met |
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | — | — | 93 Data includes only First Nations students who are eligible for funding by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). The Number of students attending First Nation administered schools who have at least one subject taught in a First Nations language is captured at the school level and only for First Nation schools. As a result, the total number of students may not align with the total number of students at… | No result reported |
| 2024-25 | Maintain or increase results year over year | 2025 | 94 | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Maintain or increase results year over year | 2027 | — | Planned |
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Maintain or increase results year over year | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | $2.94B | $3.1B |
| 2024-25 | $2.94B | $3.26B |
| 2025-26 | $3.39B | — |
| 2026-27 | $3.06B | — |
| 2027-28 | $2.99B* | — |
| 2028-29 | $3.02B* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 323 | 315 |
| 2024-25 | 320 | 351 |
| 2025-26 | 359 | — |
| 2026-27 | 309 | — |
| 2027-28 | 298* | — |
| 2028-29 | 298* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 plan | $2,942,930,883 | $2,946,751,144 | $2,984,719,823 | |||
| 2024-25 plan | $2,941,079,695 | $2,975,026,782 | $3,012,752,246 | |||
| 2025-26 plan | $3,394,434,128 | $3,063,074,478 | $2,984,132,593 | |||
| 2026-27 plan | $3,061,344,694 | $2,985,286,527 | $3,024,653,254 | |||
| Actual | $3,102,844,414 | $3,264,950,194 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
