How to Apply to Equinox Holistic Alternative School

How to Apply

The TDSB has a wide range of elementary alternative schools available to students. The annually application process is managed centrally by TDSB and includes an online application form. Information about the online application process is available on the Alternative Schools website.

The online application for admission for September 2024 will be open from Monday, January 8, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. to Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. Admission offers will be made to JK-8 students in February by TDSB.

After March enrolment at TDSB elementary alternative schools becomes frozen. This is now standard practice across the Board for all schools which are not designated local home schools, including special interest programs, academies, etc. This is done to reduce student movement as much as possible between TDSB schools after the Board has completed its staff allocations and class breakdowns for the upcoming school year for all of its 583 schools. Unfortunately, student movement not only impacts those students choosing to switch schools, but also those who do not move.

For example, if a student turns down a spot after March, that decision currently impacts only two schools – the elementary alternative school (like Equinox) and the local designated home school the student is choosing to attend instead. If an elementary alternative school accepted another student after March from another school it would add a third school into the mix. Thus, further increasing student movement across the Board and increasing the ripple effect on staffing allocations, class breakdowns, etc. for all the schools involved in those student switches. A shift of just one student may be enough to tip a school to gain or loose a teacher and/or cause new class breakdowns when TDSB conducts its annual board-wide reorganization each fall. That annual fall review and board-wide reorganization process ensures TDSB’s finite resources (as specified and financed by the Ontario Ministry of Education) goes to where students actually show-up each September vs. where the Board predicted the previous Spring. For example, in a board this size, if less than 1% of students switch schools after allocations are completed in the Spring that is approx. 2,350 students.

Please note, TDSB has not yet informed elementary alternative schools exactly how many new students they may accept for the upcoming school year per each grade. The number of students accepted varies year to year and is determined by TDSB head office. Generally, Equinox accepts approx. 20 JK students and only a handful of students spread across grades SK-8.

If language or other barriers make the application process challenging for your family or anyone you may know, please reach out to the Equinox school administration so they may try to help: equinox@tdsb.on.ca.