Education
The Ministry of Education runs the Ontario School System.
Every child in Ontario can attend a public or separate (Catholic) elementary and secondary school in English or French for free.
It is mandatory for children to attend school until they are 18 years old.
Elementary schools consists of junior and senior kindergarten classes (ages 4-5 years), and grades 1 through 8 (ages 6 to 13 years)
Secondary school, also called high school, consists of grades nine to 12 (ages to 13 - 18 years).
To earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), you need to earn 30 course credits, 40 hours of community service, and pass the literacy requirement.
The school year is typically 190 days starting the first week of September and ending in June. Please follow the link to access a school year calendar.
Waterloo Newcomers' provides an overview of education rights and responsibilities.
Alternatives to elementary and secondary schools are home school and private schools (for a fee).
To learn more on the educational system visit:
• Ministry of Colleges, Training and Universities
• Settlement.org
• Ontario Immigration's Youth Section
• Government of Ontario - Education and Training
• Ontario Immigration - Studying
• Every child's legal right education- CLEO
• Education Act
Please follow the link to access local elementary and secondary schools.