Coquitlam is the third largest school district in British Columbia with 30,000 students in 66 schools. The district includes the cities of Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam, and the villages of Belcarra and Anmore. The total population in the Tri-Cities area is 206,000 spread over 200 square kilometers.

We are only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver by car or Sky Train. Two major universities, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, are both a short commute from Coquitlam. The world class Whistler Mountain ski resort, the host site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, is less than 2 hours away by car. We enjoy a mild climate with a safe environment and an affluent lifestyle. Nestled in the mountains and edged by the Pacific Ocean and Fraser River, Coquitlam truly is an ideal setting for international students with excellent year-round recreation, shopping and ethnic dining.

According to law of Canada, all children aged from six years to sixteen years must go to school. The children aged from four years to five years can go to preschool. It is interesting that not all provinces in Canada follow the system of primary school, elementary high school and high school. In some provinces, they only have primary school and high school, then college or university. Also, there are seven or eight years in primary school in some provinces. For example, in Ontario, the period of primary school is eight years and that of high school is four years; in Quebec, the period of primary school is six years and that of high school is four years, also there are two years of preparatory courses for university. After graduating from preparatory courses, students can go to study in university. The following form is about educational system in Canada:

There are big differences of primary and high school education between Canada and Eastern countries. It mainly embodies in the allocation of grades, the educational way and principles. In Canada, not only are there different educational systems among different provinces, but also there are flexibilities and rights for each school to select text books. Compared with the eastern countries, the study of primary and high school in Canada is more relax and less pressure. Especially in primary school, the educational thought is that to study from play. Children can learn knowledge from the pleasant games. In Canada, the pressure of study in primary and high school is not too much and the contents of math, chemical and physical are less than they are in China. The textbooks mainly focus on the practical ability training. There is less homework in Canadian school than Chinese school. There are some select courses in high school such as accounting, mainly thinking about some students who will find a job after graduation.