Schools & Education

Schools & Education for Newcomer Children and Youth

 

Public Schools in Toronto

All children between the ages of 6 and 13 must attend school; however, most children start school at age 4. Elementary schooling starts with Kindergarten (age 4 for Junior Kindergarten and age 5 for Senior Kindergarten) and advances to Grade 8.  Secondary Schools (‘High Schools’) offer Grades 9 to 12. You do not need to pay to send your children to publicly funded schools.

There are four types of publicly-funded schools in Toronto:

Registering Your Children in School

Use the links below to access information about school registration for children and youth (ages 4 to 20 years) who are new to Canada:

TDSB (public English-language) schools: click here.

TCSB (Catholic English-language) schools: click here.

 

Learning English at School

Elementary and Secondary schools offer free English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction for students who have limited English skills.

Click here for more information.

 

French Language Education

Core French is offered to all students from Grades 4-8 and continues into secondary school from Grades 9-12.  English language school systems also offer ‘French Immersion’ programs, which allow your child to learn in both English and French.

Use these links for more information about French Immersion in TDSB schools and TCDSB schools.

Vaccination Requirements for School-Aged Children

In Ontario, children and youth are required to have certain vaccinations before they are eligible to attend public schools.  For more information, visit these websites:

Ontario Immigration

Toronto Public Health

 

Want to know more about schools and education in Ontario?

Settlement.org > Education

On this website you will find helpful information about Ontario school systems and enrolling your children in school, as well as Newcomer Guides to Elementary and Secondary Schools in Ontario.

Ontario Ministry of Education

Information from the Government of Ontario about Preschool, Elementary schools and Secondary schools (High Schools).