Why is Canada's education system so bad in some areas?

I've recently moved to the NWT and one thing I couldn't help but notice is that students here seem to be falling behind compared to their peers down south. I know kids as old as 8 who can't even read at all and teenagers who can't even name all the provinces. When it comes to proficiency in other subjects like maths those students seem to do even worse. The government says that Canadian schools are among one of the best in the world rising way above the average level. I do not think so. Maybe, the government has only essed the results found down south and ignored completely those who live in the North.