Skip to main content

Graduation Requirements

Ontario Secondary School Diploma

In order to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), a student must earn a minimum of 30 credits, including 18 compulsory credits. A credit is a means of recognition of the successful completion of a course and details pertaining to a course, such as prerequisites and evaluation procedures.

  • 4 Religion (1 credit per grade)
  • 4 English (1 "ENG" credit per grade)
  • 1 French-As-A-Second Language
  • 3 Mathematics (at least one in Grade 11 or Grade 12)
  • 2 Science
  • 1 Grade 11 or 12 Science or Grade 9 - 12 Technology
  • 1 Canadian History
  • 1 Canadian Geography
  • 1 Arts
  • 1 Health and Physical Education
  • .5 credit in Civics
  • .5 credit in Career Studies
  • 1 additional credit in English, or a third language, or Social Sciences and the Humanities, or Canadian and World Studies, or Guidance and Career Education, or Cooperative Education. (The Grade 11 World Religions course meets this requirement.)
  • 1 additional credit in Health and Physical Education, or the Arts, or Business Studies, or Cooperative Education.
  • 1 additional credit in Science (Grade 11 or 12), or Technological Education (Grades 9-12), or Cooperative Education.

 

In addition, students attending London District Catholic Secondary Schools are required to earn 4 credits in Religious Education (1 credit per year) *(The Grade 11 World Religion Courses will meet the Ministry requirement of 1 additional English, a third language, Social Science or Canadian and World Studies.)

  • 9 Elective credits
  • 30 Total for O.S.S.D.

 

Each student is also required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement prior to graduation. All students must meet the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) Requirement. This is accomplished by successfully completing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, administered in Grade 10, or, if students have been eligible to write the test at least twice and have attempted it unsuccessfully at least once, by successfully completing the Grade 12 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OLC40).

The Ontario Secondary School Certificate

The Ontario Secondary School Certificate will be granted upon request to students who leave school before earning the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, provided that they have earned a minimum of 14 credits distributed as follows:

Compulsory credits (total of 7)

  • 2 credits in English
  • 1 credit in Canadian geography or Canadian history
  • 1 credit in mathematics
  • 1 credit in science
  • 1 credit in health and physical education
  • 1 credit in the arts or technological education
  • Optional credits (total of 7)
  • 7 credits selected by the student from available courses

The provisions for making substitutions for compulsory credits (described in section 3.2: Substitutions for Compulsory Courses) also apply to the Ontario Secondary School Certificate.

The Certificate of Accomplishment

Students who leave school before fulfilling the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma or the Ontario Secondary School Certificate may be granted a Certificate of Accomplishment.​

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test

All students must meet the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Requirement in order to earn a secondary school diploma. Generally this is accomplished by successfully completing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. This test will be administered in the student's Grade 10 year and will be based on the Ontario Curriculum expectations for reading and writing in all subjects, up to and including Grade 9. Remedial assistance will be provided for students who do not successfully complete the test. This assistance, which may be provided through a credit generating English Literacy Skills course (also offered at summer school), is designed to help students improve their skills so that they are better prepared to retake the test in the following school year. There is no limit to the number of times the test may be attempted. Students on an IEP may be provided with accommodations as allowed by the policies of the Ministry of Education. Concerns about accommodations, deferrals or exemptions should be discussed with the principal and appropriate school staff. Students who have attempted the test and been unsuccessful at least once, are eligible to take the Ontario Secondary Literacy Course (OLC 4O), a Grade 12 English course. Students who complete the course successfully will receive a credit, and will meet the provincial literacy requirement for graduation.​

Volunteer Hours Update:

For students graduating in the 2022-23 school year, the community involvement graduation requirement will be reduced to a minimum of 20 hours of community involvement activities. 

Please submit your signed volunteer form to Ms. Almeida in the Guidance Office or email this form to Ms. Almeida at [email protected] 

Deadline: April 30, 2022

OSSLT Update:

The literacy graduation requirement will be waived for all students graduating during the 2021-2022 school year.