Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra has announced several changes to education policy for the 2026-2027 school year. Key changes include making final written exams mandatory for most high school courses, with students in Grades 9 and 10 earning up to 20% of their grade from exams in core subjects. Additionally, attendance will account for 15% of a student's final mark in Grades 9 and 10, while Ontario high school students will now be required to pass a standardized financial literacy evaluation to graduate, with a minimum score of 70%.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Back to school: Everything you need to know about Ontario's education policy changes
A cheat sheet on the major changes for the 2026-2027 school year
Tuesday marks the official return to school for hundreds of thousands of Ontario students, but the academic landscape inside those halls will look a little different this fall.
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landscape → need → halls
If you’ve just come off a busy summer full of beach days and cottage trips, here are some of the major updates you may have missed.
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you → come → updates
Mandatory final written exams for high school courses
In June, Education Minister Paul Calandra announced a string of changes, including making final written exams mandatory for most high school courses.
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exams → write → courses
The move is “intended to provide a more consistent approach to assessment and evaluation for students in Grades 9 to 12,” according to the province’s website.
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move → intend → website
For Grades 9 and 10, mandatory final written exams are now worth 20 per cent in core subjects like english, math and science.
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exams → write → english
The EQAO Grade 9 mathematics assessment counts as a written final exam.
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assessment → count → exam
In Grades 11 and 12, exams account for 25 per cent of the grades in core subjects, while non-core subjects split final evaluations between a written exam and a culminating project.
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subjects → account → exam
Workplace preparation, co-op and special education courses remain exempt from written exams, though final non-written evaluations are still required.
Attendance will now factor into final grades
Starting this school year, attendance and participation will account for 15 per cent of a final mark in Grades 9 and 10.
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attendance → remain → Grades
In the upper years, it will count for 10 per cent.
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it → count → cent
A student who has more than two unexcused absences won't be able to get that full 10 or 15 per cent.
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who → have → cent
After the change was announced in June, Calandra told The Canadian Press attendance rates in Ontario high schools have been among the worst in the country.
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rates → announce → country
"My advice to parents is, keep them in school," he said at the time.
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he → keep → time
Illnesses and religious holidays are categorized as excused absences and will not affect grades.
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Illnesses → categorize → grades
New financial literacy graduation requirement
Ontario high school students also now need to pass a financial literacy test in order to graduate.
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students → need → test
Grade 10 students will take the new standardized financial literacy evaluation in Career Studies (GLC2O) and must score at least 70 per cent to pass.
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students → take → cent
According to the province's website, students will have two opportunities during the course to achieve that benchmark.
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students → accord → benchmark
If they don’t succeed, they will be provided more opportunities outside the course.
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they → succeed → course
The education minister announced the requirement last spring, saying students need practical, real-world skills, including on how to manage money and budgets.
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students → announce → money
The evaluation will focus on essential financial life skills, including household budgeting, interest rates, credit cards, saving strategies and consumer awareness, the province says.
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province → focus → budgeting
Student and family support offices at all school boards
Last week, the province announced student and family support offices will open at all 72 school boards.
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offices → announce → boards
The province first announced the program last fall, when it placed five school boards under provincial control for alleged mismanagement, ordering those boards to open support offices by January 2026.
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it → announce → January
When announcing the program expansion in Hamilton last week, Calandra said the offices are meant to give parents and caregivers a clear next step when concerns cannot be resolved at the school level.
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concerns → announce → level
“We know there are going to be times when parents have questions and concerns,” he said.
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he → know → questions
“Most of these can and should be resolved with the teacher or principal.
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But parents should not have to spend weeks trying to determine who is responsible for handling more complex issues, Calandra said.
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Calandra → have → issues
New 'back to basics' kindergarten curriculum
A new kindergarten curriculum will take effect this school year.
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curriculum → take → effect
The new "back-to-basics" curriculum shifts away from play-based learning towards academic rigour, according to the province.
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curriculum → shift → province
It includes new learning requirements in math, science and language skills, where the previous curriculum emphasized learning through exploration and play.
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curriculum → include → exploration
Some teachers have expressed concern over whether the new expectations are age-appropriate for four- and five-year-old children.
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expectations → express → children
The province says the curriculum maintains learning through play while introducing more structured lessons in reading, writing and math.
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curriculum → say → reading
