Middle French Immersion Program at OCDSB Secures Temporary Two-Year Extension
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has announced a significant reprieve for its middle French immersion program, which was previously scheduled for substantial changes. The program, which serves students across 33 elementary schools in the district, will now continue in its current form for at least two additional years.
Reversal of Previous Transition Plan
Originally, the board had planned to restrict middle French immersion exclusively to students in Grades 4 through 6 starting in September 2026. This would have meant that students currently in Grades 1 and 2 would have faced limited options: either remain in core French programs at their current schools or transfer to early French immersion at designated institutions.
Supervisor Bob Plamondon, who was appointed to oversee the OCDSB, made the decision to extend the program after receiving substantial feedback from concerned parents. Many families expressed that the original plan would disadvantage younger students who had been preparing to enroll in middle immersion programs.
Parental Concerns and Program Details
Parents raised several significant issues with the proposed changes:
- Students currently in Grade 2 who desired French immersion would have been forced to transfer to different schools
- Transferred students would have joined classes where their peers had already been studying French immersion for two years
- Some families faced the potential loss of after-school care arrangements at their local schools
Plamondon noted that parents presented thoughtful alternatives during consultations, which were carefully reviewed with board staff before making the decision to extend the program.
Current Program Statistics and Future Plans
The middle French immersion program currently serves approximately 4% of the OCDSB's elementary student population across 33 of the district's 120 elementary schools. However, enrollment has declined by more than 25% over the past five years, according to Plamondon's assessment.
Looking forward, the OCDSB plans to implement more flexible entry points for early French immersion starting in September 2026. Students will be able to begin early French immersion at the start of Grade 1, 2, or 3. Additionally, upcoming accommodation reviews will prioritize expanding early French immersion in schools where middle immersion is being phased out, where feasible.
Background and Context
The phasing out of middle French immersion was part of a broader package of changes approved by trustees in May 2025, before the OCDSB was placed under provincial supervision. The program restructuring aimed to streamline French language offerings across the district.
Plamondon emphasized that there are no current plans to remove middle French immersion from any school where it is currently offered, provided that viable student cohorts can be maintained. Parents will receive additional information about the program extension directly from their children's schools.
This temporary extension provides breathing room for families and educators while the board continues to evaluate the long-term future of French language programming in Ottawa's largest school district.
