30 Ottawa public schools to see grade changes under elementary program review: report

Parents in Ottawa’s largest school board are upset about a plan that could force many kids to move schools. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board unveiled proposed changes to elementary school boundaries and school grade structures Friday morning, with 30 schools set to be impacted and thousands of students on the move in a major restructuring of elementary programs starting in September 2026.

Ottawa’s largest school board released proposed changes to its schools in January as part of the Elementary Program Review, including gradually eliminating Middle French Immersion (MFI), closing Alternative Schools and phasing out some special education programs. Under the proposal, the OCDSB would consolidate elementary school programs into two – Enhanced English (EE) and French Immersion (FI).

A report released on Friday says all elementary schools will remain open under the program review, but 30 schools will be impacted by a change to their grade configuration as of September 2026.

“The scope and magnitude of the changes being proposed is substantial and will transform the District’s elementary schools,” the report says.

• Ottawa public school board to only offer Enhanced English and French Immersion in new elementary program model

“Given the complexity, the proposed model must be considered in its entirety. Introducing changes to any of the attendance boundary, grade configuration or program offering for an individual school will have repercussions for neighbouring schools and curtail efforts to achieve the desired outcomes, that is, community-based schools offering EE and FI at each site to the greatest extent possible.”

According to the report, the following schools will see changes to their grade structure under the elementary program review:

• Alta Vista Public School: Currently JK to Grade 8, will change to Grades 4-8 (EE,FI)
• Arch Street Public School: Currently JK to Grade 6, will change to JK-Grade 3 (EE,FI)
• Bayview Public School: Currently JK to Grade 4, will change to JK-Grade 3 (EE,FI)
• Carson Grove Elementary School: Currently JK to Grade 5, will change to JK to Grade 6 (EE,FI)
• Charles H. Hulse Public School: Currently JK-Grade 6, will change to JK-Grade 3 (EE,FI)
• Convent Glen Elementary School: Currently JK-Grade 5, will change to JK-Grade 3 (EE,FI)
• Featherston Drive Public School: Currently JK-Grade 8, will change to JK-3 (EE,FI) and Grades 4-8 (MFI)
• Forest Valley Elementary School: Currently JK-Grade 5, will change to JK-Grade 3 (EE,FI)
• Glen Ogilvie Public School: Currently JK-Grade 5, will change to JK-Grade 6 (EE,FI)
• Goulbourn Middle School: Currently Grades 6-8, will change to JK-8 (EE,FI, 7-8 MFI, 7-8 G.ENG)
• Hawthrone Public School: Currently JK-Grade 8, will change to Grades 4-8 (EE, FI)
• Henry Larsen Elementary School: Currently JK-Grade 8, will change to Grades 4-8 (EE,FI, MFI)
• Henry Munro Middle School: Currently Grades 6-8, will change to Grades 7-8 (EE, FI)
• Kars on the Rideau Public School: Currently JK-Grade 8, will change to Grades 4-8 (EE,FI,MFI)
• La Phare Elementary School: Currently JK-Grade 5, will change to JK-Grade 6 (FI)
• Manotick Public School: Currently JK-Grade 5, will change to JK-Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Metcalfe Public School: Currently JK-Grade 8, will change to JK-Grade 6 (EE,FI,MFI)
• North Gower/Marlborough Public School: Currently JK-Grade 5, will change to JK-Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Pinecrest Public School: Currently JK-Grade 8, will change to Grades 4-8 (EE, FI)
• Pleasant Park Public School: Currently JK-Grade 6, will change to Grades 4-8 (EE, FI)
• Regina Street Alternative School: Will change to JK to Grade 3 (Alternative, EE, FI)
• Richmond Public School: Currently JK-Grade 5, changing to JK-Grade 6
• Riverview Alternative School: Changing to JK-Grade 3 (JK-Grade 6 ALT, JK-Grade3 EE&FI)
• Robert Hopkins Public School: Currently JK-Grade 5, changing to JK-Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Roberta Bondar Public School: Currently JJK-8, changing to Grades 7-8 (EE, FI, MFI)
• Severn Avenue Public School: Currently JK-Grade 6, changing to JK-Grade 3 (EE, FI)
• South March Public School: Currently JK-Grade 6, changing to JK-Grade 8 (EE, FI)
• Steve MacLean Public School: Currently JK-Grade 8, changing to JK-Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Vimy Ridge Public School: Currently JK-Grade 8, changing to JK-Grade 6 (EE, FI)
• Woodroffe Avenue Public School: Currently JK-Grade 8, changing to Grades 4-8 (EE, FI)

For a look at the proposed boundaries for each school, visit the OCDSB website.

While the school board normally sees approximately 6,000 to 8,000 students moving schools as they transition from one grade to the next each school year, the public school board estimates that approximately 11,000 students may experience a change in schools in September 2026.

The first glimpse at the proposed boundary changes has some parents concerned their children will have to change schools.

“I’m furious because I have a stable life and I wanted to have a stable life, specifically, for my kids,” Anastasia Peacock told CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy.

Peacock says changes in schools for her son from Alta Vista Public School will be “super disruptive.”

“They already have friends. They’re not very good at change. We moved from Toronto a few years ago, and my oldest son, it took him, like a year and a half to adjust to just having moved and losing his friends from daycare.”

The OCDSB says there will be fewer grade configurations under the proposed changes: K-3, K-6, K-8, 4-8, 7-8 and 7-12. Each elementary school’s grade configuration will end at the final grade of a school division – at Grade 3 (primary division), Grade 6 (junior division) or Grade 8 (intermediate division).

“School attendance boundaries will be simplified, with most schools having boundary at full implementation of the model,” the OCDSB said. “And, with more balanced enrolment, there should be less reliance on portables (generally), especially in older facilities and in some parts of the district.”

Ottawa’s largest school board launched a review of its elementary programs last spring, the first stage of a review to ensure “inclusive, high-quality and accessible programs and/or services” offered by the board. The OCDSB currently offers six programs in elementary schools – Full-Day Kindergarten, English with Core French, Early French Immersion, Middle French Immersion, Alternative Program and the Ottawa-Carleton Virtual School. There are also special education and English as a Second Language services.

If approved, the proposed changes would see Middle French Immersion phased out over time, with the last cohort of Grade 4 students entering in September 2026 and completing Grade 8 by the end of the 2030-31 school year. Alternative schooling as a “distinct and separate offering” would be phased out over time, according to the board.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says there will be a “higher than usual number” of staff transfers between schools if the boundary changes are introduced for September 2026, but an exact number wasn’t released.

The OCDSB’s Director of Education says the board is trying to find the right balance.

“Any large, complex change management process is not easy,” Pino Buffone said.

“What we look to do as an organization is to establish equity of access to our programs and services across the city. That’s one of the things that we heard in almost all of our feedback was not only, desired, but they felt necessary.”

Trustees will vote on the proposed elementary program review changes and school boundary changes in April.

Peacock says the family may now explore other school options if the proposed school boundary changes proceed in September 2026.

“We bought our house based off of the school district,” Peacock said. “So, I never thought it was a possibility that my kids would be zoned to go elsewhere with essentially no choice for me other than having to change school boards.”

Parents and the community are invited to fill out a survey on the OCDSB website. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is holding community meetings on March 6, 17 and 24.

Thursday, March 6 (In-Person)

• Daytime session (1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.) at Confederation Education Centre
• Evening sessions (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) at Earl of March Secondary School and Gloucester High School

Monday, March 17 (In-Person)

• Daytime session (12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.) at the Rideau Community Hub
• Evening Session (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) at Brookfield High School and Longfield-Davidson Heights Secondary School

Monday, March 24, 2025 (Virtual)

• Daytime session (12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.) in a virtual format. Register now.
• Evening session (7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) in a virtual format. Register now.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy