Schools

Thought I'd write a note on the schooling systems here and how to go about looking for the good ones.

There are three kinds:

Private - These are privately run and are very expensive. Many work out to fees of between 8000 to over 10,000/- dollars a year.

Catholic - If at least one parent is a baptized Catholic, your child can go to a Catholic school for Elementary school. In high school, you can be of any denomination.

Public - The majority of students go to school in the public school system. These are government funded and not to be compared or confused with the corporation schools in India! These schools have excellent infrastructure, syllabus and well trained teachers. The curriculum is a mix of American and European.

Within these schooling systems, you also have the French immersion students. These students learn all their subjects and have their education in French. Some people opt for this so their kids learn two languages really well.

Your child’s age at the end of the year (December 31st) determines the grade that they will normally go into, though this may be adjusted somewhat if your child's circumstances require. Children begin school in the year they become five. Use the table below as a starting point for determining which grade your child will be in.

Age at Dec 31st	Grade
5	Kindergarten
6	1
7	2
8	3
9	4
10	5
11	6
12	7
13	8
14	9
15	10
16	11
17	12

Schools

The most usual arrangement is that there are schools:

• Kindergarten to Grade 3
  Ages 5-8
• Elementary School
  Grade 4 to 7 (ages 9-12)
• Secondary (High) School
  Grade 8 to 12 (ages 13-17)

Some areas have Middle Schools for Grades 6-8. In these areas the students transition between Elementary and Secondary school via the Middle school.

If you are coming in to Canada, look at www.fraserinstitute.org/reportcards

This site has the full listings of the schools and their ranking. Also the area the school is in. You can also look at:

www.tdsb.on.ca

This is the Toronto School Board site.

For schools in Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon check this site:

www.peel.edu.on.ca

Remember: The school your child goes to depends on WHERE YOU LIVE. So if you want your child to go to a particular school, you can find a home in that zone and then get admission. Call the transportation department of the board and tell them the home address. They will confirm the school names to you.


If you live nearby, you will have to drop your kids. If you live a certain distance away, your child will be 'bussed'' to school.

If you have any questions....please feel free to ask.