Description of Elementary School Options in Ontario

In moving to the Greater Toronto Area, and generally throughout Ontario, a family has a variety of educational options, both public and private. Public Schools The elementary public school system is quite extensive with a variety of different types of schools that are paid for with public funds. All of these are available to any family that lives in the district. All of these public schools adhere to the Ontario Curriculum, though there are slight allowances for religion in the Catholic Schools and French culture in the French schools. Additionally, all take the Ontario Provincial test, called the EQAO, to determine their comparative performance in the Province.
These choices include:
1. Public School – English speaking, open to all residents
2. French Immersion Public School – Open to all residents. For Anglophones to learn French. Typically start in Kindergarten.
3. Catholic Public School (often called the Separate System) – English speaking. In the elementary schools the child must be a baptized Catholic. This is not true in the Secondary Schools
4. French Immersion Catholic Public School – Same religious requirement as above but is for Anglophones to learn French. Typically immersion begins in Grade 5.
5. French School - For Francophones with a French cultural focus. There are some requirements for a child to be fluent in French at their grade level before entering, though French speaking parents is not an absolute requirement.
6. French Catholic School – Same as above but with the religious component.