French Immersion

Durham District School Board (DDSB) has a French Immersion program that allows students to become proficient and fluent in French as well as English. French Immersion is an optional program that begins in Grade 1. Students in Grades 1-3 spend their entire day in French. Beginning in Grade 4, French Immersion students spend half of their day in French and the other half of the day in English. Students who do not register for French immersion will study Core French. Core French begins in grade 4 and students spend 1-2 periods a day learning French.

Students who complete the elementary and secondary French Immersion program should be versed and confident enough in French to allow them to study French in post-secondary or accept employment in a French-speaking environment. We offer French Immersion at 18 DDSB elementary and 7 secondary schools.

Parent Information Meeting

Parent information meetings are held in February at each of the elementary schools offering the FI program. The evening session will provide families with important information on the French Immersion program & the benefits when developing a second language. Please note: there is no opportunity to attend these sessions virtually.

We offer French Immersion at these DDSB schools:

Elementary Dual Track Schools: Kindergarten to Grade 8 English programs and French Immersion in Grades 1-8
Single Track Schools: French Immersion in Grades 1-8 only

The Kindergarten program at all single track French Immersion (FI) schools no longer offer the Kindergarten Program.

All Kindergarten students must register at their ‘designated home school’ for the Kindergarten program. Please use the school locator tool to identify your home school. If your child is interested in learning in our French Immersion (FI) program, you will be able to transfer them to the closest single track FI school in the spring prior to them entering Grade One.

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