What is it and why are we doing it?
Travel to and from school is the most common daily travel activity for children in Canada, highlighting the importance of accessible education services. This project measures and maps access to high schools across Canada. The goal of this project is to better understand how geography shapes students’ ability to reach education services. Access to education is a key social determinant of health that plays an important role in shaping long-term social, economic, and health outcomes for youth.
Schools are important spaces for learning, social development, and overall well-being. However, access to secondary schools is not evenly distributed across the country. Many communities must travel longer distances and rely on limited transportation options to reach schools. In some areas, school closures and consolidation have further increased travel times for students.
By mapping high school locations and measuring travel distance and time using a CARI+ accessibility framework, this project shows how access to secondary education varies across Canada and helps identify where gaps in access may exist.
What can it be used for?
- Identifying areas where access to secondary schools is more limited (longer travel times/distances)
- Highlighting barriers to education access related to transportation and infrastructure
- Supporting planning decisions around school closures, consolidation, and new school locations Informing discussions on how access to education may impact attendance, well-being, and long-term outcomes
- Contributing to research on education access, health, and social equity across Canada
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