Application and Admission

Elementary Alternative Schools Webinar Presentation

A random selection process will be implemented for the placement of all applicants.

When the number of applicants does not exceed available space at the requested schools, the student will be placed in one of the requested schools, as determined by the random selection process.

When the number of applicants for a class exceeds the number of spaces available, students will be selected through a process that supports the TDSB’s commitment to improving the historically and currently underserved students in elementary alternative schools that reflect the diversity of the Board and the City. Admissions priorities to elementary alternative schools include the following (in order):

1. First Nations, Métis, or Inuit Peoples
   In keeping with the Board’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, applicants who self-identify as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit, in accordance with the Voluntary First Nation, Métis and Inuit Self-Identification Policy (P077), and who are TDSB students or live in the City of Toronto, will be admitted prior to the selection of other applicants.


2. Sibling Applicants
   Applicants with a sibling remaining at the selected TDSB elementary alternative school for the upcoming school year, will be admitted prior to the selection of other applicants and after the placement of students who self-identify as First Nations, Métis, and Inuit.
    
3. Additional Priority Categories
   After the placement of Indigenous students and applicants with siblings, 25% of the remaining spaces at every grade in each school will be allocated to the applicants who are current TDSB students and self-identify in one or more of the following categories: Black, ethno-racial group (e.g., East Asian, Latinx, Middle Eastern, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Mixed), 2SLGBTQ+ (for applicants entering Grade 7,8), students with a disability.

 Note: According to the Human Rights Code, the term “disability” covers a broad range and degree of conditions. A disability may have been present at birth, caused by an accident, or developed over time. Section 10 of the Code defines “disability” as: 

1. any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical coordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device,


2. a condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability,


3. a learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language,
    
4. a mental disorder, or


5. an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

Disability also includes being perceived as a disability.