The Ontario Secondary School program is based on a credit system. Students must earn a total of 30 credits to obtain a high school diploma. There are 18 compulsory credits and the remaining 12 credits are optional, earned in courses that the student may select from the full range of courses offered by the school. Students must also complete 40 hours of community involvement activities and must pass the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, which is taken in grade 10. All students must meet the same graduation requirements.
What do you need to graduate?
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:
- English or French as a second language
- a Native language
- a classical or an international language
- social sciences and the humanities
- Canadian and world studies
- guidance and career education
- cooperative education
Group 2:
- health and physical education
- the arts
- business studies
- French as a second language
- cooperative education
Group 3:
- science (Grade 11 or 12)
- technological education
- French as a second language
- computer studies
- cooperative education
In addition to the compulsory credits, students must complete:
- 12 optional credits
- 40 hours of community involvement activities
- the provincial literacy requirement
*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.