2. Find a school
Question & Answer
Can my children go to school if I’ve just immigrated to Ontario?In Ontario, there are 4 publicly-funded school systems that your child can attend for free. Contact your local school board for more information.
You can also send your child to a private or independent school. Private or independent schools don't receive government funding, so all students must pay to attend them. The Ministry of Education has a list of private schools in Ontario.
Usually your home address determines the English-language school that your child can attend. Each school is set up to serve the homes in a specific area around the school. Any child that lives within the school's area should be allowed to attend that school.
This is not always the rule for English-language Catholic schools or French-language public and Catholic schools.
If the school nearest to your home is full, your child might be registered and bussed to another school in a different area that is accepting new students. Sometimes schools that have space available will accept students who live outside of their area. If you want to send your child to a school outside your area, you might need a permission letter from your local school.
Contact your local school board or office staff for more information.