The school I chose won’t let my child attend. Can they do that?

Every child in Ontario has the right to attend a school in a school board where they live. But they do not have a right to attend any particular school.

Some school boards have certain rules about who is allowed to attend schools in their board. For example, Catholic school boards and French-language school boards have different rules than English-language school boards.

In rare cases, a school may not let your child attend if they are worried about other students’ safety. For example, your child may not be allowed to attend if they have been violent toward other students.

For more information about why a school might not let your child attend, see Steps 2 to 5.

School is mandatory

Every child in Ontario must attend school from age 6 to 18. If a child in this age range doesn’t attend school, the child or the parent may be charged. There are some exceptions. See step 1 for more details about who must attend school and the penalties for not attending.

Test please ignore: revision made Feb 11, 2021 – saved as draft.