Frequently Asked Questions

When there is enough interest, and if space is available, any school may be considered as a possible site for the French Immersion program. The decision to expand into other schools is made by the end of March for the following school year. Please note that these are just some of the factors staff consider when determining which schools will offer an Immersion program.

Students who live within the boundary of the neighbourhood school, or who have an older sibling attending a French Immersion school, are considered “home” students for the purpose of Grade 1 French Immersion registration. Students in these situations have priority for entry into the Grade 1 French Immersion class.

We try to accommodate as many students as possible.

You can register your child online at www.wrdsb.ca/french. Each year, registration opens in early January and closes on January 31 so that we can establish the schools that will offer the program for the following school year. By using a lottery system, we can establish Grade 1 French Immersion classes, with preference given to neighbourhood students who register before January 31. We continue to accept registrations for the remainder of the year, up to the first week of October of the Grade 1 year.

Parents must decide to start their child on the French Immersion pathway in Grade 1. Tutoring will not provide your child with the required number of hours in French language instruction to ensure that they are at the same level as their peers by Grade 2.

Each case is assessed individually depending on the type of French program in which the student was previously enrolled and the level of French written and spoken by the student. An assessment would be required before your child can attend the program.

In November, we hold information nights at all the current elementary schools offering the French Immersion program. At these meetings, we explain the online registration process and answer questions about our French as a Second Language programs.

A Principal must accept an out of boundary student for Kindergarten if the student has a sibling enrolled in the French Immersion program at the school. Otherwise, the decision to accept the student is made by the principal of the school with the French Immersion program, in consultation with the principal of the school the child normally would attend.

No. In this case, the student is considered to be from within the school boundary if they had a sibling currently enrolled in the Immersion program.

Most schools can accept out of boundary students. However, due to capacity, some schools may not be able to accept any out of boundary students, or only a limited number.

You may register for an out of boundary school if your home school does not offer French Immersion. Please note that transportation to an out of boundary school is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Please refer to our Student Transportation policy for details.

The regular walking distance policy applies to students attending their neighbourhood home school for the French Immersion program. Transportation to an out of boundary school is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Please refer to our Student Transportation policy for details.