Students need to complete a certain number of courses, do community service hours, and pass a literacy test.
To graduate from high school and receive an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) students must:
Earn 12 optional credits: This can vary by school, each school offers their own programs based on their course calendar
Earn 18 compulsory credits:
Credit Groups: Compulsory credits are separated into 3 groups.
Group one contains primary language based courses. Examples being a secondary language course like French or other Native Language courses, however subjects fall under group one such as humanities and career education.
Group two contains courses that don’t quite fit in credit groups one or three, such as health and physical education, the arts (music, traditional art, and drama/theatre), or even business studies. Out of the 3 credit groups, two has the broadest variety of courses.
Group three contains technology or science based courses. Examples of group three courses includes the three traditional sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics) as well like computer studies.
There are also outliers within the group system, as a course can count for any one of the three groups. For example American Sign Language as a second language and cooperative education, can count towards your group one, two, or three, credit requirement.
The high school program is based on a credit system. Students get 1 credit for every 110-hour course successfully completed.
Although students may take 8 credits per year and complete secondary school in four years, many students take a fifth year or an additional semester. Extending their studies this way allows them to take fewer courses each year (or explore their interest in other school subjects.) Some students take more courses than necessary or take courses during the summer and finish faster.
Get more information about high school graduation requirements.
