Education
The public school system

Canada’s education system is the responsibility of the provinces and territories. The Provincial Ministry administers the publicly funded elementary and secondary schools, in accordance with the directions set by the provincial government. They issue the curricula, determine the requirements for diplomas and certificates and provide the money to run the school, maintain it and build new schools.

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Students from outside Canada can attend school in Canada. You will need a valid student visa and a letter from the school you wish to attend stating that space is available.

Elementary and secondary schools evaluate the school records of all new students to determine grade-level placement and the number of secondary school graduation credits you have aquired. If you are newly immigrated into Canada, you need to bring your or your child's education documents translated into English or French directly to your new school.

Parents play a vital role in the development and education of their children. Schools become better when there is a strong connection with parents as part of the learning community. School Councils bring parents and schools together and provide an important bridge between school staff, parents, Home and School Associations and other parent groups that are active within the school community. For new immigrants it is a good opportunity to become involved and make new friends.

Most of the information here will be based on the Province of Ontario. If you are interested in attending school in one of the other provinces, contact that Provincial Ministry of Education.

The following programs are taught in elementary school:
The Arts, Grades 1-8
French As A Second Language, French Immersion, Grades 1-8
Health and Physical Education, Grades 1-8
Language, Grades 1-8,
Mathematics, Grades 1-8,
Native Languages, Grades 1-8
Science and Technology, Grades 1-8
Social Studies, Grades 1-6;
History and Geography, Grades 7 and 8

The high school program is based on a credit system. Students must earn a total of 30 credits to obtain their high school diploma. Eighteen of the credits are compulsory, from a list of subjects that every student must take. The other 12 credits are optional, from a list of courses offered by the school.
Students must also complete 40 hours of community involvement activities and must pass the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), which is taken in Grade 10.
Compulsory Credits (total of 18)
4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)
1 credit in French as a second language
3 credits in mathematics
2 credits in science
1 credit in Canadian history
1 credit in Canadian geography
1 credit in the arts
1 credit in health and physical education
1/2 credit in civics and 1/2 credit in career studies.
1 additional credit in English, or a third language, or a social science and the humanities, or Canadian and world studies
1 additional credit in health and physical education, or the arts, or business studies
1 additional credit in science (Grade 11 or 12) or technological education (Grades 9–12)
Optional Credits (total of 12)
In addition to the 18 compulsory credits, students have to earn 12 optional credits in courses of their choice, selected from the full list of courses available in the school. Optional credits allow students to build an educational program that suits their individual interests and meets university, college, apprenticeship, or work requirements.

High schools offer the opportunity to enroll in Cooperative education programs. This program lets the student get work experience in a workplace setting.
The programs includes:
Pre-course interview to determine if the placement is appropriate to the student’s goals and interests
Pre-placement instruction, including workplace safety instruction
A Personalized placement learning plan (PPLP)
Assessment and evaluation
Regular in-school integration sessions
Benefits to the student are:
They can test-drive a career
Build job skills
Get hands-on work experience

Full Description of High School Courses

Roughly 800,000 students in Ontario get bussed to school everyday. According to Transport Canada, the yellow and black school bus is the safest mode of transportation for school children - in terms of construction, driver standards, training, and passenger safety. Red flashing lights and a stop arm halt traffic in both directions when children are boarding or leaving a school bus. On a per passenger, per kilometre basis, the occupants of school buses are 16 times less likely to be injured in road collisions than the occupants of any other vehicles.

A variety of factors, such as weather, fog, snow squalls, and road conditions determine whether the bus will be cancelled for students. There are so many variables that it is impossible for a parent to guess about cancellations. Local radio stations and news websites give constant updates about which busses to which schools are cancelled. Know the name of your school and your school bus company. During days that the bus is canceled, the school will still be open for those who walk to school, or are brought there by their parents. However, if the bus did not pick up your child in the morning, it will also not bring your child home in the afternoon.

Sometimes, students will be send home early because of upcoming bad weather conditions. The schools will try to contact you to let you know about this. Make sure you have alternate plans in case your child cannot arrive home early. Give the school directions as to what to do. Be aware of the possibility of early dismissal from school when the weather turns ugly and discuss your plan with your child beforehand.

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