WRDSB ending French Immersion sibling priority placements
Posted Sep 19, 2025 05:22:12 AM.
Last Updated Sep 19, 2025 01:27:17 PM.
A big change is underway for French Immersion placements at the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB).
The public school board announced that in an effort to make French learning more accessible for all families, siblings of students already in the French Immersion program will no longer be given priority during registration.
The WRDSB said the change would start this year, meaning anyone applying for the program for the 2026-27 school year will be the first families impacted.
“In some WRDSB schools, more than half of the available spaces for Grade 2 French Immersion were secured through sibling priority placement,” the board said in a release.
“The updated eligibility criteria levels the playing field, making the process more fair and transparent for all.”
The changes stem from families saying they felt left out of the registration process, especially those applying for the first time.
“We understand that this change may be disappointing for some parents, families and caregivers who hope to have siblings in French Immersion,” said the WRDSB.
“Siblings may still be placed in the French Immersion program at the same school, but this is no longer guaranteed. If a student is not placed in the French Immersion program at the same school as their sibling, families will still have the option to have them attend the core French program at the same school as their sibling.”
Although the sibling priority rules are changing, the school and boundary priorities will not be. This means if your child already attends a school where the French Immersion program is offered, or if they live within that school’s boundary, they will still be given priority for a spot in the French Immersion program.
Applications for the program typically open in January.
