Grade 5 in BC: what your child learns and what's open to them
29 contests and programs open to grade 5 students in British Columbia. You don't need to do all of them. Pick the ones that match what your child enjoys.
What your child learns in Grade 5
A plain-language summary of the official BC curriculum for grade 5 math and English language arts.
Math
- Working with numbers to 1 000 000, and decimals to thousandths.
- Finding equivalent fractions (1/2 is the same as 2/4), and comparing and ordering fractions and decimals using benchmarks like 0, one half and 1.
- Adding and subtracting large whole numbers and decimals, and multiplying and dividing up to three digits, including division with remainders.
- Building fluency with multiplication and division facts to 100.
- Describing pattern rules with words, numbers, symbols and variables, and solving one-step equations like 4 + x = 15.
- Finding the area of squares and rectangles and seeing how area and perimeter relate, working out elapsed time, classifying prisms and pyramids, and exploring slides, flips and turns.
- Making double bar graphs, running probability experiments, and making simple financial plans with amounts up to $1000.
Reading, writing and speaking
- Reading many forms and genres of text, and looking at how stories are built and how characters are developed.
- Thinking about perspective and point of view: who is telling this, and how might someone else see it?
- Using reading strategies like visualizing, questioning, summarizing and making inferences, and using context clues for new words.
- Noticing imagery and figurative language like metaphor and simile.
- Writing paragraphs with a topic sentence and details, using correct tenses and subject-verb agreement, and punctuation such as commas, dialogue quotation marks and capitals in titles and headings.
- Revising and editing writing, and speaking with expression while staying on topic in discussions.
Easy ways to help at home
- Double or halve a recipe together and talk about equivalent fractions.
- Plan a small budget, like a family snack shop or a birthday party, with a set amount of money.
- Ask your child to work out how long until an event, like a movie start time or a trip.
- Read the same event from two points of view, or ask how a story would change if another character told it.
- Draw a room or yard on grid paper and find its area and perimeter.
little and often beats long and hard
What do Emerging, Developing, Proficient and Extending mean on the report card?
- Emerging
- Your child is beginning to understand something in an area of learning. They are still learning but may need more support to move ahead. Emerging doesn't mean your child is unsuccessful in this area.
- Developing
- Your child understands some things in an area of learning but still has other areas to work on. Like Emerging, it doesn't mean your child is unsuccessful in this area.
- Proficient
- Proficient is the goal for your child, and for all students. It means they fully understand the required learning. It doesn't mean their learning stops.
- Extending
- Your child shows a deeper understanding and can apply their learning in new and different ways. Extending is not the goal for all students in every area of learning.
Sources: BC Curriculum: Mathematics Grade 5 · BC Curriculum: English Language Arts Grade 5
Math
Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest
A fun, international multiple-choice math contest from Grade 1. Parents register directly, and the contest is written on a Sunday in March.
Grades 1–12$20 last year if registered by…MathCanada Jay Mathematical Competition
A national 90-minute contest for students in Grade 8 and below, with a division for Grade 4 and under. Written in school on November 19, 2026.
Grades 4–8$12 per studentMathELMACON Elementary Mathematics Competition
BC's own math competition for Grades 5–7, held in person at UBC on a Saturday in late April or early May. Parents register online.
Grades 5–7$40 last yearMathAMC 8 (American Mathematics Competitions)
A 25-question, 40-minute US math contest for Grade 8 and below, open to Canadian students through a host school or centre. Written January 21–27, 2027.
Grades 5–8Set by the host school or centreMathCEMC Problem of the Week
A new math problem every Thursday at five levels from Grades 3–4 to Grades 11–12, with the solution a week later. Sign up by email or read it online.
Grades 3–12No fee is listedMathUBC and PIMS Math Circles for Grades 5–7
Monday after-school math workshops at UBC for Grades 5–7, run by math faculty. $5 a session, with registration for each session.
Grades 5–7$5 per session per childCoding
Beaver Computing Challenge
Computational-thinking puzzles, no coding needed. Written online at school, November 9–20, 2026. Schools must order by October 26.
Grades 5–10$3 per studentCodingFIRST LEGO League (Explore and Challenge) in BC
Team LEGO robotics for ages 6–14. Teams must register with FIRST by October 31, 2026 to compete at BC qualifiers in January.
Grades 1–8Paid per teamScience
Language & reading
Spelling Bee of Canada
A national spelling bee for ages 6 to 14 with a British Columbia & Vancouver chapter. Registration for the 2027 program opens October 16, 2026.
Grades 1–9Fee for 2027 not posted yetLanguage & readingVancouver Writers Fest Youth Writing Contest
A free-to-enter short story and personal essay contest for BC students in Grades 5–12. The next contest opens in spring 2027.
Grades 5–12No entry fee is listedLanguage & readingBC Summer Reading Club
A free summer reading program at BC public libraries. Kids track their reading, collect stickers and earn a medal. Runs from about mid-June to August.
K–Grade 8FreeLanguage & readingDELF Prim and DELF Junior French Diplomas (Alliance Française Vancouver)
Official French-language diplomas recognized worldwide. Alliance Française Vancouver lists DELF Prim (ages 8–11) and DELF Junior (ages 12–17), but kids' exam dates aren't posted yet.
Grades 3–12Kids' exam fees not posted yetArts, music & chess
Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program Exams
Graded music and theory exams used across Canada. For the January 2027 practical exams, register by November 3, 2026.
K–Grade 12Fees depend on the subject and…Arts, music & chessVancouver Kiwanis Music Festival
Metro Vancouver's large music competition festival, with feedback from adjudicators. Solo registration runs November 2, 2026 to January 18, 2027.
K–Grade 12Entry fees vary by classArts, music & chessBC Youth Chess Championship and Canadian Youth Chess Championship
Rated chess tournaments for players under 18. Score 50% at a qualifier, such as the BC Youth Chess Championship, to play at the national CYCC each July.
K–Grade 12Varies by tournamentCamps & enrichment
UBC Geering Up summer STEM camps
Week-long science, engineering and coding day camps run by UBC for kids entering Grades 1–12. Registration opened on February 18 in 2026.
K–Grade 11$410–$490 a week for elementary…Camps & enrichmentScience World spring and summer science camps
Hands-on science day camps at Science World for spring break and summer. Members can book first, and spots sell out quickly.
K–Grade 8About $550 for a 5-day camp in…Camps & enrichmentVancouver community centre summer day camps
Recreation day camps at Vancouver community centres. Since 2026, summer camps open on one city-wide registration day in April.
K–Grade 7Varies by community centre and…Camps & enrichmentCity of Burnaby summer camps
City-run summer camps in Burnaby. Residents get early registration in March, a few days before everyone else.
K–Grade 7Varies by campSchool programs
Independent (private) school admissions in Metro Vancouver
Most Metro Vancouver independent schools take applications in the fall for the next September. For 2027 entry, many deadlines fall between October 29 and December 3, 2026.
K–Grade 11Application fees were $50–$350…School programsVancouver Late French Immersion (Grades 6–7)
A second chance at French Immersion, starting in Grade 6. Apply while your child is in Grade 5. Places are decided by draw.
Grade 5Free to applySchool programsBurnaby French Immersion (Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 6)
Early French Immersion starts in Kindergarten or Grade 1; Late French Immersion starts in Grade 6. Applications are in February, with a lottery in early March.
K–Grade 5Free to applySchool programsVancouver MACC gifted classes (Grades 5–7)
Full-time classes for gifted students in Grades 5–7, with 40 spaces across Vancouver. Students are referred by their school team, not by a direct application.
Grades 4–7Free through the school systemSchool programsRichmond kindergarten registration and French Immersion
Kindergarten registration and the French Immersion and Montessori application open November 1. Last year both closed in mid-January, with results in early February.
K–Grade 5Free to register and applySchool programsNorth Vancouver kindergarten registration and French Immersion
Priority kindergarten registration for September 2027 runs October 15 to December 15, 2026. You choose English or French Immersion in the same online form.
K–Grade 5Free to registerSchool programsSurrey kindergarten registration and French Immersion lottery
Kindergarten registration opens in January. Early French Immersion and other choice programs use an online lottery in February, with results before Spring Break.
K–Grade 5Free to register and applySchool programsSurrey gifted programs, IB and Inter-A
The Challenge Program (Grades 3–7) and MACC classes (Grades 5–7) by school referral, plus IB at Johnston Heights and the Inter-A program at Queen Elizabeth Secondary.
Grades 3–8Free through the school systemSchool programsCoquitlam kindergarten registration and French Immersion
Apply for French Immersion, Montessori or Mandarin Bilingual from January 7 to 13, 2027. Kindergarten registration at your catchment school is February 1–4, 2027.
K–Grade 5Free to applyPlan ahead: what starts in later grades
Nothing to do yet. It just helps to know these are coming.
- Grade 6BC Debate and Public Speaking Tournaments (DSABC)
- Grade 7Gauss Mathematics Contest
- Grade 7Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair
- Grade 7South Fraser Regional Science Fair
- Grade 7FIRST Tech Challenge in BC
- Grade 7CBC First Page Student Writing Challenge
- Grade 7Surrey Libraries Youth Writing Contest
- Grade 7Vancouver mini schools (Grade 8 entry)
- Grade 7Transition Program for Gifted Students at UBC
- Grade 7North Vancouver IB programs and academies
- Grade 8Math Challengers BC
- Grade 8UBC Physics Olympics
- Grade 8Coquitlam IB program at Port Moody Secondary (Grade 9 entry)
- Grade 8AMC 10 and AMC 12 (American Mathematics Competitions)
- Grade 9Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Contests
- Grade 9Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC)
- Grade 9Canadian Computing Competition (CCC)
- Grade 9Science World Future Science Leaders
- Grade 10Shad Canada
Guides for grade 5 parents
Put every deadline in your calendar
One step, no account. Each deadline comes with a reminder a week before, and the calendar updates itself when dates change.