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 17 DDSB elementary and 7 secondary schools.
French Immersion schools
We offer French Immersion at these DDSB schools:
- Dual Track: schools offer Kindergarten - Grade 8 English programs and French Immersion in Grades 1-8
- Single Track: Kindergarten programs are in English and French Immersion in Grades 1-8
Use the school locator tool to see which French Immersion elementary schools feed into which French Immersion secondary schools in the DDSB.
Canadian Parents for French (CPF)
Parents can join the Ajax/Pickering CPF to learn more about French Immersion and other language programs in the DDSB.
Resources for students and families
French Immersion students and families may be interested in these resources:
- French Immersion guide for parents and caregivers
- Supporting your child's success in French Immersion and Extended French
- Treasure chest for families new to French Immersion
- Ontario curriculum elementary expectations for French Immersion, Grades 1 to 8, Core French Grades 4 to 8, Extended French Grades 4 to 8
- Ontario curriculum secondary expectations for Core, Extended and Immersion French Grades 9 to 12.
- A framework for French as a second language in Ontario schools
- Including students with special education needs in French as a second language programs