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 & Resources

The school boards that operate in the Region of Durham are: 

Durham District school Board (Public English) - Website 

Durham Catholic District School Board (Catholic) - Website 

Conseil scolaire Viamonde (French Public) - Website 

Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (French Catholic) - Website