To graduate high school in Quebec, grade 11 math and history (Contemporary World) are not required. You can replace them with electives or other courses.

Conditions for graduation:

  • Between grades 10 and 11, you need 54 “class credits”.
  • Some classes are worth more credits than others.
  • Twenty of those credits must come from grade 11. The other 34 credits can come from a mix of grades 10 and 11.
  • You can’t get all your credits from electives — there are certain classes you must pass in order to graduate. Grade 11 math and history are not in that mandatory list.
Grade 10 (Secondary 4) Mandatory Passes
  • science (4 or 6 credits, depending on whether you’re in regular or advanced science)
  • math CST, TS or SN (4 or 6 credits, depending on whether you’re in regular or advanced math)
  • history (4 credits)
  • creative elective (art, music, dance, drama etc) (2 credits)
Grade 11 (Secondary 5) Mandatory Passes
  • English (6 credits)
  • French Second Language (4 or 6 credits, depending on whether you’re in regular or advanced French)
  • choice of gym OR ethics (2 credits)

Notice that math and history (Contemporary World) are not mandatory courses for grade 11. In order to reach 54 credits, you can take math or history to help get you there, but you do not have to. You can get to 54 credits by taking other courses your school offers. Many families do not consider this alternative path to graduation because their child is automatically placed in these (non-mandatory) grade 11 courses.

Warning: avoiding courses like math or history in grade 11 may limit your options for certain CEGEP programs or career paths. It is therefore important to know what pre-requisites you need before making this decision.

I did this myself — over a decade ago, I knew my plans for CEGEP required advanced math, but not history. I therefore opted to replace history with an elective, and graduated with full credits. Cutting out subjects that did not interest me or serve my future goals was one of the best decisions I made in high school. It let me focus on the classes I was passionate about, and for the first time, my report card reflected that. After years of inconsistent grades, I made the principal’s honour roll (90%+ for my school at the time). This got me into an extremely competitive CEGEP program, which set the trajectory of my career.

Your to-do list:
  • In grade 10, as soon as possible, make a meeting with your school guidance counsellor or administration.
  • Ask them whether the school can accommodate this type of schedule request for grade 11.
  • Discuss your career and CEGEP goals, ensuring that your grade 11 courses still align with that path.
  • Refer to the sources at the bottom of this article and do your own research on this path — while this article is intended to serve as a guide, I am not an official source of information for QC credits (but there are official sources below).

https://www.quebec.ca/en/education/preschool-elementary-and-secondary-schools/programs-training-evaluation/ministerial-examinations-evaluation-learning/achievement-record-secondary-school

http://lcchs.lbpsb.qc.ca/Guidance/documents/2022-Fall-Grade-11.pdf

https://international.emsb.qc.ca/international/student-life/courses

https://web-sites.lbpsb.qc.ca/guidance/High-School-Education/Graduation-Requirements

https://phs.westernquebec.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/credit_check_final.pdf

https://phs.westernquebec.ca/graduation-requirements/

https://lcchs.lbpsb.qc.ca/Guidance/graduation.htm