French

The federal bilingual bonus is $800 a year and hasn’t increased since 1977. Here is exactly what the SLE test involves, how long results last, and what changed in 2025.

Busing is provided, unlike the Catholic board next door. But a 20% cut to grade 1 spots this year means the draw is tighter, and odds shift by city.

90% French from grade 1, a real lottery, and one logistics detail that catches almost every family off guard: there’s no bus.

Extended French enrollment is down 20.7% since 2019-20, driven largely by TDSB’s 2019 phase-out vote. Here’s what’s happening and what to do if it hits your board.

Peel DSB’s 2026-27 Grade 1 French Immersion applications are already closed, random selection, waitlist. What actually happens if your child doesn’t get in.

Ontario’s 50% French-time Immersion rule is a floor, not a fixed number, and start grades vary board to board. Two schools calling themselves Immersion can mean genuinely different programs.

YRDSB, YCDSB, and two French-first-language boards all serve York Region families, and the programs genuinely differ. A warm, factual guide to what each actually offers.

They’re not badly made. They’re built for native French toddlers, not for a learner starting from nothing. That difference explains the whole complaint.