Every year, thousands of students across the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) make the transition from Grade 8 to Grade 9, entering the next stage of their learning journey. Here’s what you need to know.
Step One: Do I need to register for Grade 9?
Students currently enrolled in a WRDSB school for Grade 8, skip to step three. They do not need to register for Grade 9. They will receive course option information from their elementary school guidance teachers, starting in February.
Students new to the WRDSB need to register for Grade 9 at their designated home secondary school unless they will be attending a magnet. Students applying to a magnet from out of board will register with that school upon successful acceptance to the magnet program.
Step Two: Registering for Grade 9
Need to register for secondary school in the WRDSB? You’ll need to make sure you have the required documentation before you begin this process.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Proof of Address
- Utility bill, proof of Ontario Property Assessment Notice, or lease/purchase agreement.
- Proof of Birth (original documents)
- Birth Certificate, Canadian Passport, birth registration, citizenship card or statement of live birth.
- Please note: we are not able to accept digital or paper copies of birth documents
- Proof of Custody where applicable
- Custody orders, court-ordered Guardianship
- Student Immunization Information
- Submit your child’s immunization information online directly to the Region of Waterloo Public Health.
- Immigration documents where required
- Please contact international@wrdsb.ca if you do not have Canadian citizenship or Permanent Resident documents
- More information can be found on our website at www.wrdsb.ca/international
- School documents – recent report card or school leaving certificate (elementary and secondary only)
I have the required documentation
Submitting the form
Please print off the completed form above and mail this to your designated home secondary school. If you have not attended school in the WRDSB before, you may register online. More information on registering for school in the WRDSB.
Step Three: Finding Your School
All sixteen Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) secondary schools welcome students to a rich and diverse secondary school education. Students can anticipate an exciting variety of programs, course options, activities and services designed to meet their learning needs.
To check which secondary school serves your specific geographic area, please refer to the school locator tool. Please note: students are permitted to transfer to a school outside their designated home secondary school to participate in a System Designated Specialized (Magnet) Program.
About Our Secondary Schools
Each school has information on their websites about what makes them unique. Learn more about your school:
- Bluevale Collegiate Institute
- Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute
- Eastwood Collegiate Institute
- Elmira District Secondary School
- Forest Heights Collegiate Institute
- Galt Collegiate Institute & Vocational School
- Glenview Park Secondary School
- Grand River Collegiate Institute
- Huron Heights Secondary School
- Jacob Hespeler Secondary School
- Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate & Vocational School
- Laurel Heights Secondary School
- Preston High School
- Southwood Secondary School
- Waterloo Collegiate Institute
- Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School
Fast Facts for New Grade 9 Students and Families
Course Selection
Students should try to plan ahead for the courses they would like to take in their secondary school years. Each year, students should review their plan and if necessary, modify their course selection to make sure they meet graduation requirements and prerequisites for their post-secondary destinations. Teachers and guidance counsellors can advise and help students with their planning for course selection. Information is also available from your Grade 8 school.
For more information on Course Selection, please contact your secondary school.
De-streaming
As of September 2022, Grade 9 students will no longer be required to choose between applied or academic level courses. This change is the result of strong evidence across Waterloo Region and Ontario that supports not having Grade 8 students choose between applied and academic courses. The goal is to provide more equitable outcomes for all students.
For more information about de-streaming:
- De-streaming for Secondary Students
- About the Grade 9 Mathematics Course (MTH1W)
- Frequently Asked Questions About De-streaming
Magnet Programs
System Designated Specialized (Magnet) Programs are a series of interconnected courses that make up a program that leads directly to or supports a student’s transition to a specific post-secondary destination. Students are permitted to transfer to a school outside their school boundary to participate in a System Designated Specialized Program.
French Immersion and Extended French are available to those students who have completed the Elementary Immersion program and who wish to continue with more intensive French instruction. Please speak with the student’s elementary guidance teacher to find out which Extended French program your child would attend.
Please note that parents of students attending extended and immersion programs from areas outside of their designated home school boundary are responsible for their own transportation.
These programs are system designated specialized magnet programs that are offered at some of our secondary schools. For more information talk to your elementary school’s guidance teacher.
Please note that parents of students attending International Baccalaureate, Instrumental Strings or Integrated Arts Programs from areas outside of their designated home school boundary are responsible for their own transportation.
Graduation Requirements
Graduation from secondary school is based on an accumulation of credits. Many courses offered in secondary education are credit courses. A credit is a means of recognition for the successful completion of a course and is granted to a student by the principal of a secondary school on behalf of the Minister of Education.
More information on Graduation Requirements.
Community Involvement Hours
Every student who enters secondary school must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities as one of the requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Students may complete the requirement starting on the first of July after they leave Grade 8 and ending before graduation.
More information on Community Involvement Requirements.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
The purpose of the secondary school literacy requirement is to ensure all students can demonstrate the required skills in literacy as determined by the Ministry of Education. All students are required to meet the secondary school literacy requirement in order to obtain an OSSD. The requirement is meant to address reading and writing curriculum up to and including Grade 9. Students will generally write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) in their Grade 10 year.
More information on Secondary School Literacy Graduation Requirement.
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