About York Region District School Board

The York Region District School Board is Canada’s fastest growing publicly funded school board and the third largest school board in Ontario. It ranks among Canada’s best public school systems, as measured by annual provincial test scores. The York Region District School Board serves diverse urban and rural communities in the northern area of the Greater Toronto Region. It is an excellent, highly developed and fully accredited public education system.

Total Number of Schools: 198
Total Students: 116,000
Total Staff: 10,000
Elementary Schools: 167
Secondary Schools: 31
New Schools 2009-13: 7

School Year at a Glance – The academic year begins in early September and ends in late June. There is a two-week winter break in December /January, and a one-week spring break in March. YRDSB recognizes the significance of all major religious holidays, and appreciates that students may be absent for religious reasons at certain times of the year.

The Ontario Curriculum – In YRDSB schools students acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to capitalize on opportunities and face the challenges of a changing world community. The Ontario Curriculum is designed to help learners achieve clearly identified learning expectations. Students, parents and teachers share responsibility for students’ achieving these expectations and experiencing success.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) conducts province-wide assessments at the primary (Grade 3), junior (Grade 6) and secondary (Grade 9) levels to measure student achievement against curriculum expectations. The data are widely used as an additional tool to guide improvements in education at the individual, school and provincial levels.

York Region District School Board students continually attain high achievement against the provincial standards in EQAO testing.

Equity for all Students – YRDSB strives to create school environments that eliminate barriers to success and where all students are treated with respect, dignity and understanding. Equity policies and procedures address issues of discrimination based on race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, gender, sexual orientation, handicap and family status.

Character Education – Personal, interpersonal and citizenship development are as important to schools and staff as high academic achievement. YRDSB strives to cultivate in learners moral and performance excellence and the attributes of responsible, caring and contributing global citizens.

Safe Schools – YRDSB provides learning environments where students, staff and community members feel safe and free from violence. Behavioural expectations are shared with parents /guardians and students. The Ontario Code of Conduct and the Education Act set out clear provincial standards of behaviour for students in all publicly funded schools.