Application and Admissions Process

Before applying, take time to learn about each Elementary Alternative School. Explore what makes them different from regular schools. This will help you choose the best school for your child.

Open Houses & Information Sessions

• Schools will have open houses or information sessions from November to mid-January.
• Visit the Elementary School Open Houses and Information Nights page to find dates and times for these sessions.

If the school does not have an open house or information session, contact the school directly for more information.

Entry Points

Applying to an Elementary Alternative School through the central application process does not guarantee admission as there is limited space availability.

• Seats are generally available in the entry grades of each school, that is Junior Kindergarten (for JK to 6 or JK to 8 schools) and Grade 7 (for Grades 7 to 8 schools).

There are very limited seats available in other grades. Where there are available seats in the non-entry grades, applicants will be entered into the Random Selection Process. If there are no seats available, applicants will be notified by email prior to the random selection process.

Prior to applying for admissions to an Elementary Alternative School, carefully review the following important information:

1. Decision-Making Responsibility
   • Parents or caregivers with shared decision-making responsibilities are expected to agree on a primary contact who will submit the application, receive all communications, and accept or decline an offer.
2. Principal Residential Home Address
   • Please enter the principal residential address where the parent/caregiver is currently living.
   • If you own property in Toronto, but tenants reside at this property, you may not use this address as a claim of Toronto residency.
   • You must apply based on principal residential address which is the current address at which you live. If your current TDSB school does not have this address on record, please provide them with documentation to support the address immediately.
3. Class Size and Special Education Support
   • Class sizes in Elementary Alternative Schools are the same as they are in regular TDSB elementary schools.
   • If your child has special educational needs or has a physical disability, it is recommended that you contact the Elementary Alternative School you are interested in applying for to discuss what support can be provided or to ensure your child’s physical needs can be met.
4. Transportation
   • The TDSB does not provide transportation for students admitted through the Elementary Alternative Schools application process.
5. Exceptions or Appeals
   • After the final offers are made, the waitlist will close and no additional offers will be made. There are no exceptions and no appeals.
6. Additional Applications and Siblings
   • An Elementary Alternative School Admissions application must be submitted for each child in your family wishing to attend an Elementary Alternative School.
   • In the case of twins, triplets or multiples (siblings with the same date of birth) applying to the same school and grade, families will have an opportunity to include all the children must be included in on the same application. Space permitting, twins, triplets, or multiples will be seated together. If there are not enough space, they will be placed on the waitlist together.
   • Sibling Priority: Applicants, who reside in the City of Toronto, will be prioritized when the applicant has a sibling who will remain at the selected Elementary Alternative School for the upcoming school year. A sibling graduating at the end of the 2026-27 school year cannot be included. To be eligible for this priority, the selected Elementary Alternative School must be selected as the FIRST school choice.
7. School Selection
   • Applicants can only apply up to two (2) schools: a FIRST school choice and a SECOND school choice. The second school choice is optional.
   • The second school choice will only be considered after all first school choice applications have been considered in accordance with our priorities.
   • Applicants from outside the TDSB, except for City of Toronto JK applicants, will only be considered after all TDSB applicants have been considered for their first and second school choices.
8. Offers of Placements
   • The seating process for Elementary Alternative Schools will occur centrally and all communication will come from [email protected].
   • Please do not contact schools directly for selection results.
   • Please check your junk mail and spam folders daily.
   • You must take action to reserve a seat by the deadline.
   • An expired offer is treated as declined. There are no exceptions or appeals.
   • Students new to the TDSB and who accept an offer will be sent an email with a unique registration link. Complete and submit the registration package, then contact the school to setup an appointment where you will need to provide the necessary documentation as per Operational Procedure PR518 - Admission Eligibility Requirements.
   • All admissions are conditional pending receipt of required documentation at registration, where applicable.

Monday, January 4, 2027 - Online applications open.

Friday, January 22, 2027 - Online applications close at 4:00 pm.

Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.

First Round of Offers

February 2027 – Dates to be confirmed

Second Round of Offers

February 2027 – Dates to be confirmed

Final Offers

Dates to be confirmed

Questions?
Visit the Frequently Asked Questions  page

Contact
[email protected]