Prospective Graduates

Graduation Requirements

18 compulsory credits

Students must earn the following compulsory credits to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma:

4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)*
3 credits in Mathematics (1 credit in grade 11 or 12)
2 credits in Science
1 credit in Canadian History
1 credit in Canadian Geography
1 credit in the Arts
1 credit in Health and Physical Education
1 credit in French as a Second Language
0.5 credit in Career Studies
0.5 credit in Civics

Plus one credit from each of the following groups:

Group 1:
1 additional credit in English or French as a second lanugage**, or a Native language, or a classical or an international language, or social sciences and the humanities, or Canadian and world studies, or guidance and career education, or Cooperative Education***

Group 2:
1 additional credit in Health and Physical Education, or the Arts, or Business Studies, or French as a second language**, or Cooperative Education***

Group 3:
1 additional credit in Science (grade 11 or 12), or Technological Education, or French as a second language**, or Computer Studies, or Cooperative Education***

In addition to the compulsory credits, students must complete:

*a maximum of 3 credits in English as a second language (ESL) or English literacy development (ELD) may be counted towards the 4 compulsory credits in English, but the fourth must be a credit earned for a Grade 12 compulsory English course
**in groups 1, 2 and 3, a maximum of 2 credits in French as a second language can count as compulsory credits, one from group 1 and one from either group 2 or group 3.
***a maximum of 2 credits in cooperative education can count as compulsory credits
†The 12 optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved dual credit courses.

40 Hours Community Involvement

As a part of the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities. These activities may be completed any time during their years in the secondary school program.

The community involvement requirement is designed to encourage students to develop an awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and the role they can play in supporting and strengthening their communities. Community involvement activities may take place in a variety of settings, including not-for-profit organizations, public sector institutions such as hospitals, and in informal settings within one’s own neighborhood.

Students may not fulfill the requirement through activities that are counted towards a credit such as co-op and work experience, through paid work or by assuming duties normally performed by a paid employee. Furthermore, the requirement is to be completed outside a student’s normal instructional hours – that is, the activities are to take place before or after school, on weekends, or during school holidays.

Click here to download your COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES FORM.

Scholarships & Bursaries

The fall 2011 list of scholarships can be found here. The list of local scholarships and bursaries for the 2010-2011 academic year can be found here. In late March of each year, counsellors will discuss the locally-distributed scholarships and bursaries which are awarded annually at graduation.