ONTARIO LEARNING

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 their twelfth year of school.

Elementary schools provide Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten programs (for children aged 4 and 5) and programs for grades 1 through 8. Secondary schools currently 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: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum

Lambton Kent District School Board

The Lambton Kent District School Board provides educational services to more than 21,000 students in 64 elementary and secondary schools.  Lambton and Kent County are made up of numerous small towns and communities situated in Southwestern Ontario, a geographic area surrounded by the Great Lakes. 

New to the Community

The Lambton Kent 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 your designated boundary, but acceptance is not guaranteed. To find out which school your children will attend, based on your new address, please visit: School Locator

For a list of schools, please visit: 

· Elementary Schools

· Secondary Schools

French Immersion

For information on the French Immersion program in Lambton Kent, please visit French Immersion. 

Registration for Public Schools

You will need to provide ALL of the following information before you can register your child for school:

• 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 
• Valid work permit (must be 1 year minimum)
• Immunization Record – proof that your child has been immunized, according to the recommended immunization schedule in Ontario, against Diphtheria, Mumps, Polio, Red Measles, Rubella, and Tetanus. 
  

Please note: Only original documents will be accepted. 

Board Contact Information

Sarnia Education Centre

Lambton Kent District School Board 

200 Wellington Street

Website

Sarnia, ON N7T7L2 Phone: 519-336-1500/1-800-754-7125

St. Clair Catholic District School Board

The St. Clair Catholic District School Board manages Catholic education in the county of Lambton including the city of Sarnia as well as in the regional municipality of Chatham-Kent in southern Ontario. 

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 St. Clair 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. 

New to the Community

The St. Clair Catholic District School Board uses 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 your designated boundary, but acceptance is not guaranteed. To find out which school your children will attend, based on your new address, please visit St. Clair School Locator. For a listing of the catholic schools in the Sarnia area, please visit Schools. 

Registration

You will need to provide the following information to register your child for school: 

•  Proof of child’s age - Birth Certificate or Passport

• Catholic Baptismal Certificate – for elementary level only
• 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 
• Valid work permit (must be 1 year minimum)
• Immunization Record – proof that your child has been immunized, according to the recommended immunization schedule in Ontario, against Diphtheria, Mumps, Polio, Red Measles, Rubella, and Tetanus. 
  

Please note: Only original documents will be accepted. 

Contact Information

St Clair Catholic District School Board

420 Creek Street 

Website

Wallaceburg, ON N8A4C4

 Phone: 519-627-6762/ 1-866-336-6139

School Rankings

EQAO

In grades 3, 6, 9 and 10, students write standardized tests that are produced by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). The tests are based on The Ontario Curriculum and are designed to provide information about how well students across the province are learning to read, write and understand English and learn mathematics. The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) ensures greater accountability and better quality in Ontario’s publicly funded school system. A branch of the provincial government, EQAO provides parents, teachers and the public with accurate and reliable information about student achievement. EQAO also makes recommendations for improvement that educators, parents, policymakers and others in the education community can use to improve learning and teaching.

The Grade 3 and Grade 6 Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics are based on the reading, writing and mathematics expectations in the Ontario Curriculum for Grades 1–8. These assessments provide both individual and system data on students' achievement. Every student who writes the Grade 3 or Grade 6 Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics receives an Individual Student Report.

The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics is administered in January to students enrolled in first-semester mathematics courses and in May/June to students enrolled in second semester and full-year courses. The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is administered in March each year for Grade 10 students to assess students’ reading and writing skills. 

When you are considering a school for your children, please keep the following in mind when reviewing the EQAO results:

• EQAO results do not measure the school overall – extracurricular activities, sports, student and teacher relationships, student life, etc. 
• Some schools have their students study and prepare for the EQAO testing while others have their students to write the test with no formal preparation. 
• You must also consider the number of students who write the test and are new to Canada or ESL (English as a second language) students 

As the EQAO tests students at key points in primary, junior and secondary levels, it is important to follow this process. When picking a school, find their current grade 6 scores, and then go back three years to when this same group of students was in grade 3. This will show how these students are learning based on the EQAO scoring from grade 3 to grade 6. 

All Ontario elementary and secondary school EQAO results can be obtained at: www.eqao.com. 

Fraser Institute Report

The Fraser Institute is an independent research and educational organization. Their work is financed by tax-deductible contributions from thousands of individuals, organizations and foundations. To protect its independence, the Institute does not accept grants from government or contacts for research. 

The Fraser Institute publishes yearly report cards on Ontario’s Elementary and Secondary Schools. The reports rate English and French, private, public and separate schools based on key indicators derived from province-wide tests of reading, writing and mathematics skills administered by the province’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). 

Like the EQAO, the Fraser report is a great tool to assist in finding a school. These reports will not give you the final word on whether a school will be a good for your children, but they are a good starting place. The Fraser rankings don’t just reflect pure test scores but whether a school has been ‘pulling up its socks’ over time. 

To view the entire report, please visit: 

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/school-performance

Private Schools in Toronto

Private Schools in Ontario Overview

Private schools also provide elementary and secondary education. They are independently operated and do not receive funding from the government. The Ministry of Education does not inspect health equipment or practices related to safety and staffing issues but may inspect issues relating to the standard of instruction for secondary schools.

Application Procedures

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 to ensure you submit your application before the deadline. 

Sarnia’s Private Schools

For a complete listing of Private Schools in Sarnia and surrounding areas, please visit the following website http://www.ourkids.net/