Education and Childcare

Toronto District School Board (TDSB): The TDBS (external link)  is the largest and one of the most diverse school boards in Canada with close to 600 schools throughout Toronto.

Toronto Catholic District School Board: The Toronto Catholic District School Board (external link)  provides publicly-funded Catholic education through nearly 200 schools across the city.

Enrolment Process for Newcomers

Public schools are free of charge for Canadians and for children who are accompanying parents on a work permit.

Students who reside within the City of Toronto have the right to attend a school which is designated to serve their residential address. The "Find Your School" (external link)  section of the TDSB website identifies the designated schools for each residential address. Students also have the opportunity to access schools outside of the school that is designated to serve their residential address by applying under optional attendance. Acceptance at these schools is subject to space availability and program suitability. The procedures, conditions and timelines relating to optional attendance are described in the Optional Attendance Policy (external link)  and the Optional Attendance Operational Procedure (external link) .

Parents can register their children by visiting the school and providing the following documentation:

• Appropriate legal documentation, e.g. work permit of the parent or a study permit for the child if one is available. 
• Two pieces of proof of current Toronto address (rental agreement, telephone bill, bank statement, driver’s license, or government document with current Toronto address)
• School documents from the student’s previous school, if available. 
• Proof of immunization, if available

In addition to publicly-funded educational institutions, Toronto has many private schools (external link)  that offer elementary and secondary school programs. Information on private school rankings can be found on the Top Private Schools (external link)  website. Generally private schools have year to year tuition fees and many will also have an initial one-time registration fee; some also offer financial assistance. For a quick comparison of private schools based on tuition, grades offered and more, see the school tuition and costs: a complete guide (external link) .

• Toronto District School Board (TDSB) offers a variety of French Language Programs (external link)  in elementary and secondary schools at the following levels:
  • • Core French – students learn French as a subject
    • Extended French – students learn French as a subject and it is the language of instruction in at least one other subject
    • French Immersion – students learn French as a subject and it is the language of instruction in two or more subjects
  • Application (external link)  to begin these programs is open to all students not already enrolled in an FSL program. Application to these programs is made online the year the student is in JK (FI) or Grade 3 (EF). Please note:
    • You must apply by the deadline (external link) .
    • You must have a Toronto address.
    • All communication about the program will continue through the original email address provided as part of the online application.
    • While admission to a TDSB French Immersion/Extended French program is guaranteed to on-time applicants, admission to a specific school is not guaranteed if the school reaches capacity.
• The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) offers french language programs (core and french immersion at the elementary and secondary levels).
• The Government of Ontario provides a french language school finder (external link)  that will assist in your search by program levels and whether it is catholic or public. 
• The province of Ontario has French language public school boards (external link)  geared towards Francophone students. Each school’s website (external link)  will identify the admissions criteria. 
• Private schools also offer french language programs (external link)  as follows:
  • French Language School - At a French language school, your child will be completely immersed in a francophone environment—from education to socializing. These schools are recommended for children who have experience with the French language as all courses are taught in French, except for English arts.
    
  • French Immersion School - A French immersion school is meant to provide a completely supported French education experience to children whose first language is not French. Following the same curriculum set out by the provincial government, a French immersion school offers all courses in French, except for English arts, in an environment customized for French-second-language students.