2. Find a school
Question & Answer
Can my children go to school after I make a refugee claim?In Ontario, there are 4 publicly-funded school systems that your child can attend for free. Contact your local school board for more information.
You can also send your child to a private or independent school. These schools offer elementary and secondary education. Private or independent schools don’t receive government funding, so all students must pay to attend them. The Ministry of Education has a list of private schools in Ontario.
Usually your home address determines the English-language school that your child can go to. Each school is set up to serve the homes in a specific area around the school. Any child that lives within the school’s area should be allowed to attend that school.
This is not always the rule for English-language Catholic schools and French-language public and Catholic schools.
If the school nearest to your home is full, your child might be registered and bussed to another school in another area that is accepting new students. In some school boards, schools that are not full will accept students who live outside of their area. If you want to send your child to a school outside your area, you might need a permission letter from your local school.
Contact your local school board or office staff for more information.