OSSD
What you need to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma depends on the year you started Grade 9.
Ontario High School Diploma Requirements
- 📘 18 Compulsory Credits
- 🎯 12 Optional Credits
- 📝 Literacy Requirement
- 💻 At least 2 Online Learning Credits
Ontario High School Diploma Requirements (Grade 9 – 2024 & Later)
- 📘 17 Compulsory Credits
- 🎯 13 Optional Credits
- 📝 Literacy Requirement
- 💻 At least 2 Online Learning Credits
- 🤝 40 Hours Community Involvement (Volunteering)
If you started Grade 9 in or before Fall 2023
18 Compulsory Credits
- 4 Credits – English (1 per grade)
- 3 Credits – Mathematics (at least 1 in Grade 11 or 12)
- 3 Credits – Group 1, 2 & 3 courses (1 each)
- 2 Credits – Science
- 1 Credit – Canadian History (Grade 10)
- 1 Credit – Canadian Geography (Grade 9)
- 1 Credit – The Arts
- 1 Credit – Health & Physical Education
- 1 Credit – French as a Second Language
- 0.5 Credit – Career Studies
- 0.5 Credit – Civics & Citizenship
Additional Rules for Compulsory Credits
You can use the Grade 11 English: Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis and Inuit Voices course to meet the Grade 11 English compulsory credit requirement.
You can use the Grade 9 Expressions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Cultures course to meet the compulsory credit requirement in the arts.
You may count up to 3 credits in ESL or ELD toward the 4 compulsory English credits. However, your final (4th) credit must be a Grade 12 compulsory English course.
Group 1, 2 and 3 compulsory credits
Group 1 Credits
- English (including the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course) or French as a Second Language
- Native Languages
- First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
- Classical Studies and International Languages
- Social Sciences and the Humanities
- Canadian and World Studies
- Guidance and Career Education
- Cooperative Education
- American Sign Language as a Second Language
- Langue des signes québécoise langue seconde
Group 2 Credits
- Health and Physical Education
- The Arts
- Business Studies
- French as a Second Language
- Cooperative Education
- American Sign Language as a Second Language
- Langue des signes québécoise langue seconde
Group 3 Credits
- Science (Grade 11 or 12)
- Technological Education
- French as a Second Language
- Computer Studies
- Cooperative Education
- American Sign Language as a Second Language
- Langue des signes québécoise langue seconde
The following conditions apply to compulsory credit selections from the above 3 groups.
- In groups 1, 2, and 3, you can count a maximum of 2 credits in French as a second language as compulsory credits, 1 from group 1 and 1 from either group 2 or group 3.
- If you have taken Native languages in place of French as a second language in elementary school, you may use a Level 1 or 2 Native languages course to meet the compulsory credit requirement for French as a second language.
- You can count a maximum of 2 credits in cooperative education as compulsory credits from any of the above 3 groups.
The Langue des signes québécoise langue seconde course is only available in French-language schools.
Optional credits
You must earn 12 optional credits by successfully completing courses from your school’s program and course calendar.
Optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved dual credit programs.
If you started Grade 9 in Fall 2024 and after
Compulsory credits
You need the following 17 compulsory credits to get your OSSD:
- 4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)
- 3 credits in mathematics (Grade 9, Grade 10 and 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
- 2 credits in science
- 1 credit in technological education (Grade 9 or Grade 10)
- 1 credit in Canadian history (Grade 10)
- 1 credit in Canadian geography (Grade 9)
- 1 credit in the arts
- 1 credit in health and physical education
- 1 credit in French as a second language
- 0.5 credit in career studies
- 0.5 credit in civics and citizenship
- 1 credit from the STEM-related course group
The following apply to compulsory credit selections.
- You can use the Grade 11 English: Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis and Inuit Voices course to meet the Grade 11 English compulsory credit requirement.
- You can use the Grade 9 Expressions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Cultures course to meet the compulsory credit requirement in the arts.
- You can use a Level 1 or 2 Native languages course to meet the compulsory credit requirement for French as a second language if you have taken Native languages in place of French as a second language in elementary school.
- English language learners: You may count up to 3 credits in English as a second language (ESL) or English Literacy Development (ELD) towards the 4 compulsory credits in English. Your fourth credit must be a Grade 12 compulsory English course.
STEM-related course group
Of the 17 compulsory credits, you must complete 1 from the following group:
- business studies
- computer studies
- cooperative education
- mathematics (in addition to the 3 compulsory credits currently required)
- science (in addition to the 2 compulsory credits currently required)
- technological education (in addition to the 1 compulsory credit required)
Optional credits
You must earn 13 optional credits by successfully completing courses from your school’s program and course calendar.
Optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved dual credit programs.
Literacy graduation requirement
You must meet the literacy graduation requirement to earn your high school diploma.
For most students, this means passing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
If you do not pass the OSSLT, there are other ways to meet the literacy graduation requirement such as through taking the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OLC4O)
Online learning graduation requirement
If you started Grade 9 in the 2020–2021 school year or later, you must earn at least 2 online learning credits to get your high school diploma.
Opting out
If you want to opt out of the online graduation requirement you must be:
- 18 years of age or older
- 16 or 17 years of age and have withdrawn from your parent or guardian’s control
If you meet this requirement, you can complete the exemption form available, Otherwise, your parent or guardian needs to ask for this exemption by completing the form for you.
Community involvement activities
You need to have at least 40 hours of community involvement activities (volunteering) to graduate and earn your OSSD.
You can start collecting volunteer hours in the summer before you begin Grade 9.
When looking for volunteer opportunities:
- make sure you know which activities qualifyand meet the Ministry of Education’s guidelines
- Check with the Guidance Councillor for:
- eligible and ineligible activities
- tools to help you record hours and find volunteer activities
