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Transfer Schools within the HDSB

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Out of area transfer request (transferring schools) is the process where students can apply to attend a school other than the school designated for their area of residence.

The Halton District School Board encourages students to attend their designated school but students can apply to a school outside of their home school if there is enough space to accommodate them. Students who transfer to another school are not eligible for Board provided transportation.

Elementary Students - Transferring Schools

Timeline Process

Last Week of November

Elementary Schools designated as Open/Closed
Administrative Procedure, parent/guardian letter (Appendix A) and listing of Open/Closed schools posted on Board website.

January – February

Applications received at home school - date stamped by home school, signed off and forwarded to receiving school
“Closed School” Principals deny requests and communicate to parents/guardians Appendix B and Appendix C

March

Verify applications with school organizations, staffing and class size compliance
“Open School” Principal and Superintendent will review applications and confer with home school Principal Mid April Parent/Guardian Notification
Decisions about all applications are made and communicated grades 1-8

May - 1st week

Appeals received and processed by requested school Superintendent

September - 3rd week

Kindergarten and late application decisions after final school numbers are confirmed/p>

Approval of Applications is Dependent on the Following

School is designated as an “Open School”
Compliance to Ministry Mandated Class Size* caps is achieved
Availability of pupil spaces as per class size guidelines
School organization maintained (i.e., no new class would have to be created)
Staffing maintained (i.e., no need to hire additional staff or increase instructional resources)
Program placement and options maintained (e.g., no displacing of students to an alternative class placement or the depletion of a program)
Fiscally responsible (i.e., no additional costs to the Board)
Rationale for request is not limited to child care arrangements

*Note: The Halton District School Board is required to meet parameters set out by the Ministry of Education. The Board is required to ensure:

Kindergarten classes are staffed at a Board-wide average of 26:2 (Teacher and Early Childhood Educator)
Primary (Grade 1 - 3) classes are at a ratio of 20:1
The regional average class size for Grade 4 - 8 is 24.5:1

Principals may not consider out of area transfer requests in kindergarten and/or primary classes that have reached or are approaching primary class size cap.

Elementary Schools Open To Transfer Requests for September 2025

Elementary Schools Open to Transfer Requests for September 2025

Applications are due by February 28, 2025, to the designated home school.

Region	Schools
East	Abbey Lane PS, Oakwood PS, Pine Grove PS
North	Acton Elementary, Centennial PS, George Kennedy PS (Grades 2-5), Joseph Gibbons PS, Limehouse PS, McKenzie-Smith Bennett PS, Park PS, Pineview PS, Robert Little PS (Grades 2-5), W.I. Dick PS
West	Alexander’s PS, Clarksdale PS (Grade 2-6), Dr. Charles Best PS, Frontenac PS, Kilbride PS, Lakeshore PS, Makwendam PS, Maplehurst PS (Grades 2-6), Mohawk Gardens PS, Pineland PS, Rolling Meadows PS, Sir E. MacMillan PS, Tecumseh PS
Due to capacity limits and enrolment, all other elementary schools are not open to requests to transfer schools.

Important Document for Transfering Elementary Schools

Elementary Out of Area Transfer Request Administrative Procedure with Application

Secondary Students - Transferring Schools

Timeline Process

Last week of November

Schools designated open are posted on the Board website
Applications are given out by the designated home secondary school (refer to Appendix A in the Secondary out of area transfer request administrative procedure below)

Prior to 2nd Friday in January

Completed applications are returned to home secondary school

Last week of February

Area meetings are held by Superintendent for grade 9 transfer of schools requests
Decisions about all applications are made and communicated the first week of March

Prior to end of June

Appeal decision letter sent to parents by Superintendent of requested school

Secondary Schools Open To Transfer Requests for September 2025

Secondary Schools Open to Transfer Requests for September 2025

For the 2025-2026 school year, ALL secondary schools in each of our areas will be open to receive applications for Open To Transfer Requests. Applications are due by January 11, 2025 to the designated home school.

Important Document for Transfering Secondary Schools

Secondary Out of Area Transfer Request Administrative Procedure with Application

Appeals

Appeals to reconsider an application are permitted in situations where “extraordinary circumstances” need to be assessed. Appeals are to be submitted by parents, in writing, to the Superintendent(s) of Education of the requested school, copied to the home school and requested school Principal within 10 days of notification of application denied. The Superintendent(s) of Education makes decisions regarding appeals in consultation with the Principals involved, and communicates decisions in writing to the applicant and the schools. The decision of the Superintendent is final.

Board Office

Halton District School Board
J.W. Singleton Education Centre
2050 Guelph Line
Burlington, Ontario, L7P 5A8

Numbers

Phone: 905-335-3663
Fax:

Links

Email Us

Transfer Schools within the HDSB

Elementary Students - T​ransferring Schools

Last Week of November

January – February

March

May - 1st week

September - 3rd week

Elementary Schools Open to Transfer Requests for September 2025​

​Important Document for Transfering Elementary ​​Schools

Secondary ​​Students - Transferring Schools​