Students who entered Grade 9 in September 1999 will be eligible to receive their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) upon the successful completion of 30 credits including 18 compulsory credits, 12 elective credits and 2 additional requirements.

Students are not required to complete the 30 credits in 4 years.

Students must earn the following compulsory credits to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma:

  • 4 – English* (one per grade)
  • 3 – Mathematics (at least one in Grade 11 or 12)
  • 2 – Science
  • 1 – French as a second language
  • 1 – Canadian Geography
  • 1 – Canadian History
  • 1 – Arts
  • 1 – Health and Physical Education
  • 0.5 – Civics
  • 0.5 – Career Studies

Plus one credit from each of the following groups:

  • Group 1 – additional credit in English, or French as a second language**, or a Native language, or a classical or an international language, or social science and the humanities, or Canadian and world studies, or guidance and career education, or cooperative education***
  • Group 2 – additional credit in health and physical education, or the arts, or business studies, or French as a second language**, or cooperative education***
  • Group 3 – additional credit in science (Grade 11 or 12), or technological education, or French as a second language**, or computer studies, or cooperative education***

*A maximum of 3 credits in English as a second language (ESL) or English literacy development (ELD) may be counted towards the 4 compulsory credits in English, but the fourth must be a credit earned for a Grade 12 compulsory English course.
** In Groups 1, 2, and 3, a maximum of 2 credits in French as a second language can count as compulsory credits, one from Group 1 and one from either group 2 or group 3.
***A maximum of 2 credits in co-operative education can count as compulsory credits. +The 12 optional credits may include up to four credits earned through approved dual credit courses.

In addition to the compulsory credits, students must complete:

12 optional credits+
40 hours of community involvement activities
Successful completion of the Grade 10 Provincial Test of Reading and Writing