How do I apply for Optional Attendance?

Provided the school is permitted to receive applications, you may decide to apply to attend a school other than your designated school by address. Schools with specialized programs will have additional criteria for admission; some schools require a supplementary application and some have highly specific requirements for admission. You may apply to two regular schools beyond your home school (determined by your residential address) and two specialized schools/programs. Your counsellor and your parents/guardians can help you determine if your choice is in line with the educational plans that you have been working towards.

Optional Attendance Forms are available from your current school. Details about this policy are available at www.tdsb.on.ca/findyourschool/optionalattendance

If you choose to apply for optional attendance you should know:

• You will be responsible for your own transportation.
• You may only apply to two regular and two specialized schools/programs.
• You may not apply to a school that is not permitted to receive applications (i.e. closed schools). A list of those schools is produced by mid-January.
• A school/program that receives more applications than it has space will run a lottery to determine the successful applicants.
• Once you accept an offer of admission to a regular school through Optional Attendance, it becomes your home school and you are expected to remain there until graduation. For specialized schools/program and alternative schools, you may return to your designated school by address at an appropriate intake opportunity (i.e. semester change, end of term)

Important Dates

January 29, 2021: Optional attendance forms due at secondary school.

February 12, 2021: Deadline for parents/guardians to be informed of the status of the application request.

February 26, 2021: Course selection sheets due at elementary schools. (Student’s Responsibility)

March 1, 2021: Course selection sheets due at secondary schools via myBlueprint