New Elementary Program Model Approved

A new elementary program model was approved by the Board of Trustees on May 13th, 2025. These changes are designed to enhance educational opportunities for all students.

Starting in September 2026, we will be focusing on two core elementary programs: Enhanced English and French Immersion, for students in Grades 1 to 8. This means:

• Middle French Immersion will be phased out gradually. Students currently in Grade 4 who enroll in September 2026 will be the last group to complete the program up to Grade 8.
• Alternative programs will also be phased out gradually. Students entering Junior Kindergarten in September 2025 will be the last group to complete the program up to Grade 8.
• There will be some revisions to grade configurations, school boundaries, and program offerings starting in September 2026, as outlined in Report 25-025 and its appendices, including site-specific transitional provisions.

All current Specialized Program Classes (SPCs) will continue to be offered.

Exemption Process

An exemption process is being developed and will be communicated in the fall of 2025 to allow students to remain at their current schools if space allows and if doing so does not compromise the viability of programs at either the sending or receiving school. We will share more details about the criteria for this exemption process as they become available. This will likely include specific circumstances, such as sibling considerations.

More details about the process, including the specific eligibility criteria, school and program capacity limits, and timelines, will be shared in the coming months. Decisions related to exemptions will be finalized by the end of the calendar year.

Transition Plans

Middle French Immersion (MFI) will be phased out over time:

• Students enrolled in MFI in 2024-2025 will continue in the program until they complete Grade 8.
• Students enrolled in Grade 2 and 3 of the English program in 2024-2025 will have the opportunity to enroll in MFI. The last cohort of Grade 4 students would enter in September 2026 and complete Grade 8 by the end of the 2030-2031 school year.
• Students in Grade 1 in 2024-2025 will have the option to enrol in the French Immersion (FI) program for Grade 3 in September 2026.

Alternative, as a distinct and separate offering, will be phased out over time:

• Students enrolled in Alternative in 2024-2025 will continue in Alternative until they complete Grade 6 (or, as applicable, Grade 8).
• Junior Kindergarten students registering for Alternative in September 2025 will continue in this program until the end of the 2032-2033 school year (or until the end of the 2034-2035 school year for those opting to continue to Grade 8 at Summit Alternative).

The MFI and Alternative programs will remain at their current schools at the beginning of the phase-out period.

The transition plans outlined above will mean that the attendance boundaries and grade configurations for some schools will get more complex in the short term, until full implementation is achieved. Parents and caregivers at each of the affected schools will receive communications to help them better understand the transition plans for their school.

For more information, visit Engage OCDSB.