French Immersion Registration for Grades 2-12

The entry point for French Immersion at the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is Grade 2 (for students born in 2017 or later). Please review the French programs options page.

For new WRDSB registrants after the entry point (or students in Grade 2 transferring after October), the following applies:

  1.  You are eligible to attend a WRDSB school for French Immersion if you are enrolled in French Immersion or equivalent instruction.
    • You must provide proof of previous French language instruction.
    • Admission into the French Immersion program may require an assessment.
    • The school may request a six-week trial period before admission is finalized.
  2. Register online at your WRDSB home school (based on your address as determined by the eligibility tool).
  3. If you move into the boundary of a school that offers the French Immersion program at your child’s current grade level, then the child can attend the French Immersion program at that school. Exception – if you register prior to the first day of school, and the child is in Grade 1, then the Grade 1 French Immersion application process applies.

What if your home school doesn’t offer French Immersion?

Not all WRDSB schools have French Immersion. Please review the list of all French Immersion schools and the grades that the schools offer.

If your home school does not have a French Immersion program, we will help to find you a placement (your home school is based on your primary address eligibility and school attendance boundary). The ongoing registration and enrolment process is outlined in Section 6 of the WRDSB’s French Immersion Procedure.

    • For elementary students, contact the Planning Department and provide a list of 2-3 French Immersion schools that you can get to.
    • Transportation will not be provided for students attending a French Immersion program outside of their home school boundary. Please refer to our Student Transportation Procedure (Section 15).
    • Schools offering French Immersion cannot refuse students unless the Superintendent approves. Reasons for refusal may include staffing pressures (e.g., adding students may result in the need for more French-qualified staff at the school) or site constraints (e.g., site cannot accommodate any more portables).

For more about French programs, please email.