Application and Admissions

All students who have an interest and passion for a particular area may apply to the centralized schools and programs.

Students are encouraged to attend Open House events and research the programs before submitting their application.

The online application is now closed. It was open from November 7 to November 25, 2022.

Where the number of applicants exceed the number of spaces available in a program, all eligible applicants will be included in the random selection process.

Each type of program (i.e. the Arts) will have a consistent application outlined on the programs’ webpage. Some types of programs require a supplemental application which will be available prior to November 7.

Students can apply to up to two Centralized Programs or Schools. If applying to two choices, the applications must be ranked. If accepted to the first choice program, they will not be considered for their second choice.

Students may also opt to be considered in other programs/schools of the same focus that have availability if they are not selected for their desired school.

Selection Process for Student Interest Programs

When the number of applicants for a program exceeds the number of spaces available in the program, students will be selected through a process that supports the TDSB’s commitment to improving representation among students in central student interest programs that reflect the diversity of the Board and the City.

Admission priorities for central student interest programs include the following:

• 20% of spaces reflect the TDSB and Toronto demographic for historically and currently underserved communities (students self-identifying as First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Black, Latin American and Middle Eastern)
• 50% of spaces for students self-identifying as female in Math, Science and Technology programs
• Admission priority to students who reside in the City of Toronto.

As further demographic and registration data is gathered through the Student Census and the School Information System, additional groups of underserved students may be identified and data will allow for future prioritization through this process.

Random Selection Process Results

The random selection process for Central Student Interest Programs will occur centrally and all communication will come from noreplyregistration@powerschool.com.
Please do not contact schools directly for selection results.

1. December 8, 2022: Acceptances and waitlist status will be sent via email, to all applicants. Offers expire December 14, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. If you do not accept your placement by the deadline, the placement will be automatically declined.
2. December 15, 2022: Second round of Acceptances and waitlist status will be sent via email, to all applicants. Offers expire December 21, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. If you do not accept your placement by the deadline, the placement will be automatically declined.

The waitlist for secondary programs will be maintained until February 22, 2023.
The waitlist for elementary programs will be maintained until March 22, 2023.

After this date, central waitlists are considered expired and students will be removed from the lists in order to create new Local Waitlists for the process outlined below.

Addressing Empty Seats

Following the placement deadline (February 22 for secondary and March 22 for elementary), there may be vacant seats in a Central Student Interest Program. To address these empty seats, the Central wait lists will be reduced (in order) to only include:

1. Students who live in-area for the school offering the Central Student Interest Program
2. Students who are pre-registered to attend the school in 2023-24. This may include both current TDSB and students new to the TDSB who are registered to attend the school in September.
   Note: Students attending the school through Out-of-Area Admissions will not be included.

Should space become available in the Central Student Interest Program, applicants will be considered for seats in the program in order of their position on the Local Waitlist. These moves will not be made until late June or early September. Schools without local catchment areas will not be making further offers into their programs.

This process is being established to help ensure that as many students as possible are given the opportunity to participate in focused programming across the TDSB.

FAQ

What happens if I accept the offer for my second choice program? Will I remain on the waitlist for my first choice program?

Yes, you will remain on the waitlist. If a space becomes available for you in your first choice program, you will be automatically placed in that program and removed from your second choice program. You will be notified by email of the change.

If you are happy with your second choice program, you can contact your current school and ask to be removed from the waitlist for your first choice program. Once removed from the waitlist, you cannot be returned to the waitlist.

If you are a non-TDSB student, please email SecondaryReview@tdsb.on.ca to be removed from the waitlist.

I am on the waitlist for one (or both) of my programs. What happens now?

As spaces become available in programs, applicants will be moved from the waitlist to the vacant seats. If you are offered a seat, you will receive an email notification, along with an acceptance deadline.

You can use this link to see your position on the waitlist change over time.

Offers will be made until February 22, 2023 (secondary) and March 22, 2023 (elementary).

What do I do if I accept an offer now and change my mind?

Applicants may decide to attend their local school, or attend a school through Out-of-Area Admissions. If you accept a Central Student Interest Program offer and change your mind, please notify your current school before February 22, if at all possible so that another student has the opportunity to take your spot. If you are a non-TDSB student, please email SecondaryReview@tdsb.on.ca to inform us of your decision.