New Ontario high school attendance rules mean participation and attendance now count directly toward a student’s final grade, worth 15 percent in Grades 9 and 10 and 10 percent in Grades 11 and 12. For competitive athletes, students managing health conditions, or anyone with an unpredictable schedule, a self-paced online course offers a path to earn OSSD credits where the final mark still reflects excused circumstances and completed work rather than seat time.
Ontario High School Attendance: What’s Changing
Ontario’s Education Act has always required students to attend school regularly, but until this year attendance itself carried no formal weight in a student’s final mark. That changed with Bill 101, the Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026, tabled by Education Minister Paul Calandra in April 2026. The legislation folds attendance and class participation directly into the grading formula for Grades 9 through 12, alongside the return of mandatory written final exams. Calandra has said the change responds to feedback from teachers who described declining attendance as a growing classroom management issue since the pandemic.
How Much Will Attendance Count Toward Your Final Grade?
Under the new framework, attendance and participation make up 15 percent of the final mark in Grades 9 and 10, and 10 percent in Grades 11 and 12, on top of coursework and the final evaluation. That means a student with strong test scores and completed assignments can still see their overall grade pulled down by unexcused absences. Excused absences, including illness, severe weather, and approved cultural or religious observances, are not meant to count against the mark, though how that plays out in practice will vary by school and board. The change has drawn mixed reaction, including from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, whose president has said she would rather see absenteeism addressed through added student supports than through grading, according to CBC News’s coverage of the legislation.
Can Students Miss School for Sports or Other Commitments?
Yes, but the process matters. Under the new exam rules, an absence for a tournament, competition, or performance is generally treated as excused when the student communicates with teachers in advance and keeps up with coursework. Consider a hockey player travelling for a weekend tournament. They would still need to notify teachers ahead of time, arrange to complete missed work, and have the absence approved by the school. That communication protects the student’s standing on paper, but because the participation component considers more than just unexcused absences, athletes with frequent schedule conflicts may still find in-class participation difficult to keep pace with, even when every individual absence is excused.
Flexible Options for Students Who Need More Control Over Their Schedule
For students whose schedules make consistent, predictable in-class attendance difficult, whether because of sport, illness, or family responsibilities, a self-paced online course removes the classroom-style attendance and participation weighting entirely. In alignment with new Ministry of Education guidelines, OES has its own attendance and participation expectations for students to follow. Students must log into their course at least once per week, and missing that weekly login threshold is recorded as an official absence. Participation, meanwhile, is managed through completion tasks that are clearly marked directly within the course content, rather than through daily class attendance. The final grade still reflects the work submitted and the result of a proctored final exam, the same evaluation standard required of every accredited Ontario course, without the day-to-day seat-time tracking of a traditional classroom. A student catching up on a credit like ENG4U or MHF4U, for example, can complete the same curriculum on their own timeline while meeting that weekly login requirement.
FAQs about High School Attendance
Why are attendance rates so low in Ontario schools?
Post-pandemic disruptions contributed to a lasting decline in Ontario high school attendance, which the government has cited as one of the reasons behind the new grading changes.
How do the new attendance rules affect final grades?
Attendance and participation now count for 15 percent of the final mark in Grades 9 and 10, and 10 percent in Grades 11 and 12, layered on top of coursework and final evaluations.
Are credits from an online school recognized by Ontario universities and colleges?
Yes, when the school holds a Ministry-issued BSID. Credits from a Ministry-inspected private school are recognized by all Ontario public high schools, universities, and colleges the same way as credits earned in a traditional classroom.
Keep Your Grade on Your Terms
Ontario eSecondary School (OES) is a Ministry-inspected private Ontario online high school built around exactly this kind of flexibility. Courses are self-paced and taught by Ontario Certified Teachers, exams are proctored, and credits are recognized by every Ontario public high school, university, and college. It’s a strong fit for the athletes, adult learners, and students managing health conditions or family responsibilities who need a schedule that bends without a grade penalty attached.
If you want to see how a self-paced course fits your schedule, book a 15-minute academic guidance call.
