Elementary & Secondary Overview 

Publicly funded elementary and secondary schools are administered by district school boards. Working within the framework of the Education Act and its regulations, district school boards adapt provincial education policy to local situations. Trustees, as elected members of the board, represent the local community, providing a link between electors and the education system. 

In all regions of Ontario, the Ministry of Education governs both the Public School Board and the Separate (Catholic) School Board, which are run as separate entities. 

In Ontario, all permanent residents between the ages of 6 and 16 must attend school. Most students continue to attend after the required period, to receive a graduation diploma in Grade 12. 

Elementary schools provide Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten programs (for children aged 4 and 5) and programs for grades 1 through 8. Secondary schools offer programs from Grade 9 through to Grade 12. The high school program is based on a credit system. Students must earn a total of 30 credits (one for every 110-hour course successfully completed) to obtain a high school diploma. Eighteen of the credits are compulsory, earned in a specified number of courses from a list of subjects that every student must take. The remaining 12 credits are optional, earned in courses that the student may select from the full range of courses offered by the school. In Grade 9, most students will take a total of eight courses for eight credits. Students must also complete 40 hours of community involvement activities and must pass the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, which is taken in Grade 10. 

Curriculum 

In Ontario, all publicly funded schools follow The Ontario Curriculum. It describes what students are expected to know and be able to do in each subject area by the end of each grade. 

Due to the amount of detailed information on the Curriculum in Ontario schools, we were unable to provide all of it for you in this report. Detailed information can be obtained by visiting: Curriculum 

Halton District School Board 

The Halton District School Board is a regional school board serving approximately 63,000 public school students in the municipalities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville. 

Halton District School Board uses the boundary system. The school that your children would attend is based on your address. You can request to attend another school outside of your boundary but request depend on the availability of space. To find out which school your child would attend, please contact the school board at 905-335-3663, extension 3240 or visit them online at: Find My Local School. 

Registration 

To register your child directly at the school your child must be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident. Before going to the school please call ahead to make an appointment with office staff. 

If your child is not a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident, please contact Immigration and Visa Co-ordinator at the J.W. Singleton Education Centre at 905-335-3663, extension 3435. 

Documentation Required for Registration 

You will need to provide ALL of the following information before you can register your child for school (Original documents ONLY): 

• Completed Student Registration Form 
• Proof of child’s age - Birth Certificate or Passport 
• Proof of address - copy of offer to purchase/lease, copy of property tax bill, or copy of utility bill with your name 
• Children’s health card 
• Proof of citizenship - Birth Certificate, Passport, Record of Landing (IMM1000), or Permanent Resident Card 
• Immunization Record – proof that your child has been immunized, according to the recommended immunization schedule in Ontario. 
  

For more information, please contact: 

Halton District School Board 

J.W. Singleton Education Centre 

2050 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3Z2 

Phone: 905-335-3665/1-877-618-3456 

Website 

Halton Catholic District School Board 

The Halton Catholic District School Board provides quality Catholic education to over32,000 students in 46 elementary and 9 secondary schools in the communities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville. Instruction is offered from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 and through the Continuing Education Services and Adult Learning Centre campuses in Oakville and Burlington to students and adults of all ages. 

New to the Community 

The York Catholic District School Board operates using the boundary system. Based on your address, your children will go to a designated school within the neighbourhood. You can apply to attend a school outside of the school boundaries if there are special circumstances, but can only attend a school of choice if there is space available. Each circumstance would have to be reviewed by the school board. To find out which school your child would attend according to the school boundaries, please contact the Planning Department at 905-632-6300 extension #165 or 147 or use their online School Finder 

Assessment & Education Taxes 

As a Roman Catholic, whether you own or rent, you have the legal right to direct school support on your residential unit to the Halton Catholic District School Board. It is the responsibility of Catholic ratepayers to declare themselves as a Catholic school supporter on the appropriate school support form. Otherwise, by default, school support is directed to the public school system. If one partner is a Roman Catholic, school support may be directed to the Halton Catholic District School Board through a school lease arrangement. 

Registration for Elementary Level 

To register your child for elementary school, you can go directly to your home school, based on your new address. You or your child must be Catholic to attend an elementary level Catholic school in Halton Region. Please contact the school to make an appointment. 

Registration for Secondary Level 

The secondary school system is open to all students under the provincially legislated Open Access and no child should be refused on religious grounds unless they are unwilling to respect the rites and practices of the Catholic school system. You can go directly to the school to enroll your child. 

Documentation Required 

Please contact the office to book an appointment to register your child. If you have any copies of current school records, samples of your child’s work, or reports that may assist the school in program/placement of your child, you should bring them with you at the time of registration. 

For more information, please contact: 

Halton Catholic District School Board 

802 Drury Lane 

Burlington, ON L7R2Y2 

Phone: 905-632-6300/1-800-741-8382 

Website 

Private Schools in Burlingon 

Application procedures for private schools differ from school to school. An entrance test and interview with the child are generally required. There is not always availability at your private school of choice and your child’s name may be placed on a waiting list for entrance during the school year or subsequent years. It is a good idea to source out private schools well in advance as their registration takes place in (approximately) December of the prior year and January and February of the same school year. 

For a detailed listing of private schools in Ontario, please visit: Our Kids