OCDSB announces major restructuring of elementary program
Board hoping shakeup will return students to schools in their own communities
Ottawa's largest English-language school board is proposing significant changes to boundaries, grade configurations and program offerings at its elementary schools.
Set to take effect in the fall of 2026, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) says it's simplifying its programs in an effort to bring students back to schools in their own communities, rather than make them travel around the district.
The proposed changes include eliminating alternative schools by turning them into community schools, a major redistribution of school boundaries and new options for immersion programming.
We're offering you at the local school all of the options you would get anywhere else.- Pino Buffone, OCDSB director of eduation
Under the changes, English and French immersion programs would be made available in almost all OCDSB schools.
Announced on Friday, the move coincides with a multi-year plan by the board to update its child-care, secondary and adult education programs.
OCDSB's director of education Pino Buffone called the change a "return to neighbourhood schools" and acknowledged the board is trying to bring back parents who've enrolled their kids in other boards.
Boundaries, grade configurations to change
Under the restructuring, elementary schools will follow system-wide models where students transition at the end of grades 3, 6, or 8, reducing the frequency of the changes, according to OCDSB.
A school locator tool to help parents and students identify designated schools is expected to be available next month.
Buffone said the boundary changes are also expected to improve transportation planning, allowing more students to walk to school and reducing overall bus runs.
"We're offering you at the local school all of the options you would get anywhere else," he said.
Roughly 12,000 students are expected to change schools to start the 2026 school year, significantly more than the 6,000 to 10,000 students the board says switch annually on average.
Some cuts to programs
Under the new model, the OCDSB will discontinue its alternative and middle French immersion programs. Buffone said the board is working to transition students currently enrolled in these programs.
"Some of the tenets that the alternative program has promoted over the years have become part of the regular setting in all of our schools across the district," he said.
Students impacted by the discontinuation of the alternative program are expected to receive more information in March.
The alternate program is currently offered at five schools and allows for flexible schedules, team teaching, smaller classes and self-paced learning in what the OCDSB describes as a "primarily independent learning environment."
Buffone said the change would give students in those programs a chance to learn closer to home and be part of a community school there.
"That'd be a wonderful opportunity," he said.
Most specialized program classes will be maintained, with 103 of 142 existing classes continuing to serve students with complex learning profiles. These include programs for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, students who have developmental disabilities and students with autism.
Thirty-nine of those programs will be phased out over the next two to three years, however.
Immersion program shakeup
The change would also see the board's existing early French immersion and middle French immersion programs consolidated into a single French immersion program.
Those students will receive more English instruction starting in Grade 1, while English immersion students will see an increase in French instruction.
The board will offer more enrolment options for the immersion programs, allowing students to enter in grades 1, 2 or 3. Currently, elementary students can only enter the programs in grades 1 and 4.
"This allows us to have one French immersion program, and parents can choose to have their children enrol starting in Grade 1. Many do, and that'll be wonderful. But if parents decide to wait another year, their children can continue learning English and enter in Grade 2 or Grade 3 as part of one of those two tracks," Buffone said.
Most of the schools in the district are expected to adopt this dual-track system, with a few exceptions offering only French or English immersion.
"There'll be a handful of French immersion-only and a handful of English-only sites, and that's a little bit more access than we currently have," Buffone said.
Staffing adjustments, retrofitting to come
The transition will require retrofitting classrooms, updating school resources and realigning staff.
While the board says overall staffing levels are not expected to change significantly, movement between schools is anticipated.
The board will set aside money in its 2025-26 budget to cover the costs of retrofitting classrooms and required learning materials.
Schools with "intermediate," "middle," or "alternative" in their names may be renamed to reflect new grade configurations.
The restructuring follows formal community consultations conducted between April and June 2024.
"The goal is to align offerings with community needs while ensuring inclusive, high-quality and accessible education across the district," Buffone said.
