Newcomers
The profile of children and teenagers attending French-language schools in Canada varies.
With the exception of the province of Quebec, most of the children and teenagers attending French-language schools at the elementary and high school levels come from families where at least one parent is a francophone.
For children to be able to attend a French-language school in a minority community in Canada (that is outside the province of Quebec), the parent must have attended elementary school in French in Canada or have French as a mother tongue and still be able to understand the language.
These students often come from families where one parent is a francophone and the other is not.
In order to support both parents and children coming from these families, many French-language school boards in minority communities offer programs to provide guidance, support, and familiarization with French language and culture.
Children of Francophiles also make up a sizeable part of the clientele of French-language schools outside Quebec.
As well, French-language schools also make a point of welcoming children of immigrants.
For nearly a decade, Canada has been taking in nearly a quarter of a million of immigrants with an increasing number of them coming from French-speaking countries.
French-language schools in Canada reflect this reality.
Whether students come from Francophile families or recently established immigrant families, these students are an essential part of the rich cultural environment provided by French-language schools in Canada.