Ontario Ministry Requirements

ReferenceReference: Ontario Ministry of Education — Earning your high school diploma

What do you need to graduate?

What you need to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) depends on the year you started Grade 9.

If you started Grade 9 in 2023 or earlier, you must earn:

• 18 compulsory credits
• 12 optional credits
• the provincial literacy graduation requirement
• at least 2 online learning credits
• 40 hours of community involvement activities

If you started Grade 9 in 2024 or later, you must earn:

• 17 compulsory credits
• 13 optional credits
• the provincial literacy graduation requirement
• the provincial financial literacy graduation requirement
• at least 2 online learning credits
• 40 hours of community involvement activities

If you started Grade 9 in 2023 or earlier

18 compulsory credits

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

• 4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)*
• 3 credits in mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
• 2 credits in science
• 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

Plus one credit from each of the following groups:

In addition to the compulsory credits, students must complete:

• 12 optional credits†
• the provincial literacy graduation requirement
• at least 2 online learning credits
• a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities

If you started Grade 9 in 2024 or later

17 compulsory credits

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

• 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

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)-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 required)
• science (in addition to the 2 compulsory credits required)
• technological education (in addition to the 1 compulsory credit required)

In addition to the compulsory credits, students must complete:

• 13 optional credits†
• the provincial literacy graduation requirement
• the provincial financial literacy graduation requirement
• at least 2 online learning credits
• a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities

Literacy graduation requirement

All students must meet the provincial literacy graduation requirement to earn their high school diploma. For most students, this means passing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).

Students who do not pass the OSSLT have other ways to meet the requirement, including the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OLC4O), which is available at OES. Contact your principal to learn more about these options.

Financial literacy graduation requirement

Students who started Grade 9 in 2024 or later must complete the provincial financial literacy graduation requirement to earn their high school diploma. This requirement takes effect in the 2026–2027 school year.

Students complete the requirement by earning a mark of at least 70% on the financial literacy modules delivered during the Grade 10 Career Studies (GLC2O) course. This mark makes up 5% of the final mark in Career Studies, and students have two attempts to complete the requirement. Students who do not pass the modules during the course have other ways to meet the requirement — contact your principal to learn more.

Adult learners: If you enter the secondary school system in the 2028–2029 school year or later, you must also meet the financial literacy graduation requirement. You may complete it through the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) for Mature Students process.

Online learning graduation requirement

Students who started Grade 9 in the 2020–2021 school year or later must earn at least 2 online learning credits to graduate. Adult learners who entered the secondary school system in the 2023–2024 school year or later must also meet this requirement.

Every course at OES is a Ministry-inspected online course, so credits earned at OES count toward the online learning graduation requirement.

Students who wish to opt out of this requirement can do so through their school board: students 18 or older (or 16–17 and withdrawn from parental control) can complete the exemption form themselves; otherwise, a parent or guardian must complete it on their behalf.

40 hours of community involvement

All students must complete at least 40 hours of community involvement activities (volunteering) to graduate. The requirement helps students develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility, actively support and strengthen their communities, and learn more about themselves and possible career opportunities.

Students can start accumulating hours in the summer before entering Grade 9.

Tips for students looking for volunteer opportunities:

• Make sure you know which activities qualify under the Ministry of Education’s guidelines.
• Check your school board’s website for eligible activities and tools to record your hours.
• Students under 18 should consult with their parents to plan and select their community involvement activities.
• Record your completed hours using the OES Community Involvement Activity Form.
• Ask your principal or guidance counsellor for more information.

*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. The Grade 11 English: Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis and Inuit Voices (NBE3U/C/E) course may be used to meet the Grade 11 English compulsory credit requirement, and the Grade 9 Expressions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Cultures course may be used to meet the compulsory credit requirement in the arts.

**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. Students who took Native languages in place of French as a second language in elementary school may use a Level 1 or 2 Native languages course to meet the compulsory credit requirement for French as a second language.

***A maximum of 2 credits in cooperative education can count as compulsory credits.

†The optional credits may include up to 4 credits earned through approved dual credit programs.

The Langue des signes québécoise langue seconde course is only available in French-language schools.