You can view the literacy list to give you a basic idea of where Canada stands here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._literacy_rate
As well as from my experience it does vary. Big cities have a much richer curriculum than the country I found (I attended both a country and a city high school). In the city there are a lot of different kinds of classes available depending on where you are looking (I'm from Ontario), what city you're in, and what you're interested in.
For instance, in the country I was able to take shop and the grade 11 project (I had left by then) in advanced shop was a co-op where you actually built a house with 2 contractors overseeing the work (framing). We also had a full salon to practice our cosmetology in the school itself.
What they didn't have which I took in the city was Philosophy, World Issues, advanced Calculous, computer programming, etc. More intellectually challenging than physically overall.
I hope that's what you're looking for and PM me if you have any questions about the general area you're moving to, I will try to find some good references for you!
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