Photo credit: Garrett Elliott
  1. Relocation
  2. Schools and After School Activities

Schools and After School Activities

Choosing a school for your children & registration requirements

Ontario's school system is explained in the Newcomer's Guide to Education in Ontario.

  • Parents who arrive in Canada on a work permit: Ensure that your children are listed as dependents on the work permit of the parent who has legal guardianship. If you cannot provide this documentation, you may be assessed international school fees when you enroll your children.
  • Registering your children at school: Before the first day of school, your child must be registered with the correct documentation (proof of immigration status, birth certificate or passport, proof of address and immunization records). For specific registration information please contact the school board of your choice or check their web sites for registration information.
  • School visits and information about extracurricular activities: Call ahead to arrange a visit to a prospective school to see if the school's community and programs are a good fit. If your children enjoy sports or music, ask what the school offers. Kingston also offers a wealth of extracurricular programs and activities run by community-based organizations.
  • Home Schooling: There are many resources available for teaching your children at home.
  • Special Education: Kingston's school system has a variety of resources for children who need support due to physical, emotional, intellectual, or other special needs.
  • After School Care: If your children need after school care, consider this when you choose a school. Many, but not all, Kingston schools offer a program.
  • Provincial Testing Results: Listed for each school on the web site of the Education Quality and Accountability Office. To use this tool, you will need the name of the school you are interested in. Standardized testing takes place annually in grades 3 and 6 (elementary schools) and grade 9 (high schools). Private schools are not subject to Provincial testing.
  • School Boundaries: Public school boards assign each address to a home school district, and students living in the home school district have priority. School boards have slightly different policies on allowing students from outside the home school district to attend.
  • School Locator: Determine which addresses are served by each school in the Limestone School Board with the School Locator tool.
  • French Immersion: Both the Limestone District School Board and the Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic District School Board offer French Immersion programs in designated schools. Your child will generally be admitted to a program in the school designated for French Immersion for your residential area upon your request. It is helpful, but not mandatory, to register early (registration usually occurs in February for the following September). Contact the school board of your choice for registration information.

Schools

There are four Public School Boards serving the Kingston District (two English and two French boards):

  • Limestone District School Board

    The Limestone District School Board is the area's publicly funded non-denominational school board. The LDSB website provides information on overall board policies, programs, and individual schools. The site is divided into "Elementary" (Kindergarten to Gr. 8) and "Secondary" (Gr. 9-12). Many schools also have their own websites, which can be accessed from the board's home page. The Secondary Schools provide Profile pages that offer an interesting inside perspective on the school life.

    If you have specific questions regarding you child's education, contact the board office 613-544-6920 and ask for the consultant for elementary or secondary schools.

    The Limestone Board has an "Open Boundaries" policy. You may enroll your child in the school of your choice, regardless of where you live. However, if you are not a resident of the school's catchment district, your child may be placed on a waiting list for admission. Busing for out of district students may not be available. If you are considering purchasing a house based on the school district, be sure to contact the board office at 613-544-6920 or 1-800-267-0935, or inq@limestone.on.ca.

  • Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic District School Board

    The ALCDS Board provides publicly funded Catholic education in the Greater Kingston area. Their website provides detailed information on board policies, programs and services. For information on elementary and secondary school programs click on the "our schools" tab. A complete list of all elementary schools and their addresses/contact information can also be found there. For further information contact Christine Martin at 613-354-6257 ext. 448, or toll free (in Ontario) at 1-800-581-1116.

    The ALCDS Board operates from the principle that children will attend the school within their residential district. Exceptions can sometimes be made at the discretion of the school principal when there are considerations such as babysitting arrangements; however, decisions are dependent on home district enrollment numbers. To find out the district school for a residential address, contact the board and ask to speak to the transportation office.

  • Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario

    This is the public French language school board serving Eastern Ontario, including the Kingston area. Language of instruction is French. The board's website provides information on area schools and board policies.

    This board has two schools in Kingston:

  • Conseil des écoles catholiques du centre-est

    This is the French language, publicly funded Catholic school board that serves Eastern Ontario. For information, visit their website or call 1-888-230-5131.

    This board has two schools in Kingston:

Private schools in Ontario operate independently of the Ministry of Education of Ontario. The Ministry website guides parents in choosing a private school.

Inclusion in this list does not imply endorsement nor does absence reflect on the contribution an organization makes to the educational community.

After School

Most elementary schools in Kingston provide after-school care. Enquire at your child's school. The Boys and Girls Club of South East also offers before and after school care in various locations.  

Queen's Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) offers special sports camps and care for PA Days and school holiday breaks. PA Days or Professional Activity (PA) Days are when students remain at home and schools are open for teaching staff to engage in professional learning. As a Queen’s Faculty and/or Staff member; the ARC is pleased to offer a 10% discount for our Winter Break/March Break and Summer Camp programs.

Kingston offers a wide variety of teams and clubs that your child can join to help them stay active and make new friends outside of school. Some sports teams and clubs also offer a more competitive stream for those who wish to compete at a higher level.  

Use the Kingston Gets Active interactive map to get you started on finding the recreational activities that interest your child and contacts for more information.

The YMCA of Eastern Ontario is another good resource for recreational programming for the whole family. 

All students in Grades 5 and 9 receive an ActivPass that gives them free access to recreational activities at participating facilities in Kingston, including Queen's Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC).

During the spring and summer, the Queen's campus comes alive with a variety of summer camp options from arts, science, outdoor exploration, math, theatre, sports, and even short-wave radio! More information about the Queen's Summer Camp options is available on their website. There are also camps run by community organizations in Kingston such as the YCMA and the Boys and Girls Club South East.

The Limestone District School Board offers quality outdoor adventure educational programs through the Gould Lake Outdoor Centre which offers credit-based wilderness tripping summer programs.

There are a few different facilities that offer swimming lessons in various locations in the Kingston area. Spots can fill up quickly so you are advised to make note of the online registration dates and deadlines for the Fall, Winter and Spring/Summer periods. 

Aquatics Programs and Facilities:

There are many choices and locations (in-house, virtual, private music schools) for lessons in Kingston. Some public schools have arrangements with private music teachers - ask at your child's school.

Need an instrument? Before you invest, check out another Kingston treasure, Joe's Music Mill - the Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Library. They offer a variety of instruments and music accessories that Kingston residents can borrow to try out for four weeks at a time. If your child is taking regular music lessons, you can register for a longer lending period with proof of lessons. 

Two local music stores located in the west end of Kingston offer music lessons, sheet music, accessories, and musical instruments for rent and purchase.

The award-winning Cantabile Choirs of Kingston provide an auditioned choral program for children 8-18. The Kingston Youth Orchestra offers an auditioned orchestra program for ages 4 -26. These are only two examples of many programs available in the community.

Sistema Kingston, run by Queen's Faculty of Education, in collaboration with several community organizations, offers free, group-centred music instruction through an intensive after-school music program that focuses on positive social change through the pursuit of musical excellence.