Attendance at out-of-boundary schools for French Immersion

There are no specific attendance area boundaries for French immersion.

If you did not gain admission to your Home School for French immersion, you may accept a position at a school with available space. Taking a spot at another school does not affect your status on other waiting lists. We will always strive to place you at your highest-priority school if a space becomes available. Waiting lists will remain open, and applicants will be placed in available spaces until the 20th instructional day of the school year.

Here are some other important points to keep in mind when attending an out-of-boundary school for Grade 2 French Immersion:

  • Siblings, whether older or younger, can also register at that school, allowing families to stay together.
  • Students attending out-of-boundary schools do not have transportation (busing). Please consider how you will get to and from school each day.
  • Before and After School care is available at all schools offering French immersion.
  • If French immersion is available at your home school, you must return to that school for Grade 3. Out-of-boundary requests are possible but depend on available space and cannot be guaranteed.

Definitions

Home School Student: A student whose Primary Home Address falls within the school’s attendance area boundary. A student’s Primary Home Address eligibility determines their Home School. Alternative addresses (e.g., child care provider or family member) do not qualify a student to attend a school as a Home School Student.

Designated School Student: A student may have a Designated School status in the application lottery if their sibling is enrolled in French immersion at that school when they enter Grade 2 and their Home School does not offer French immersion. There are some exceptions:

  • If the Designated School is JK-6, and the sibling attends Grade 7 or 8 at a different school.
  • The student’s sibling must be enrolled in French immersion at the Designated School the year the student enters Grade 2.
  • To qualify as a Designated School Student in the Phase 1 lottery, siblings must be identified on the student’s application form.

Unless a student’s Primary Home Address changes, Designated School Students may continue to attend their Designated School for French immersion without requiring out-of-boundary attendance approval. Students with approved out-of-boundary requests (e.g., attending Grade 1 as an Out-of-Boundary Student) are not considered Designated School Students for the French immersion lottery.

Out-of-Boundary Student: Any student who attends a school that is not their Home School based on their Primary Home Address or their Designated School for program reasons. Approved out-of-boundary requests are valid for one school year only. Students must re-apply every year.

Primary Home Address: The student’s home address as supplied by the parent/guardian to the school. The Primary Home Address will determine the student’s Home School. Students may not use alternative addresses (e.g., child care provider or family member) for Home School eligibility.

Sibling: Students having one or more parents or guardians in common.