Register your child in an OCSB school
Whether your child is just entering kindergarten for the first time or transferring from another school, we’re happy to help you register your child for school with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Use our online school locator to find your child’s “home” school based on your residential address. Then, use the tools on this page to plan for your child’s educational journey with the OCSB. Register at anytime in one of our schools!
Newcomers to Ottawa or Canada
If you’re new to Ottawa or Canada, and English is not your first language, we can help you register your child for school! Our Family Welcome Centre staff will work with you to make sure your child gets a great education. We proudly embrace diversity and welcome students from all countries. Learn more about how we make a special effort to help international students adjust to life in a new country.
Catholic students and space availability
Children who are baptized Catholic, or have a parent who is Catholic, are automatically eligible for registration in their community OCSB school. Non-Catholic children will be welcomed on a space availability basis. Your child’s name will be placed on a waiting list, and you will be contacted as soon as space is available. At this time, there is space available in all of our elementary schools. Our secondary schools are always open to ALL students.
Immunization records
Don’t forget the important step of updating your child’s immunization records with Ottawa Public Health. While immunization records are not required to register your child in school, students are required to be vaccinated against nine diseases or have a valid exemption. Every year, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) reviews the immunization records of all 150,000 students attending schools in Ottawa to make sure the information is up-to-date. Updates on immunizations are crucial to protect the health of students during an infectious disease outbreak. Parents are required to report all immunizations done at the doctor’s office to Ottawa Public Health. Learn more about how to report your child’s vaccines before you register your child in an OCSB school.
Contact Us
Admissions Department
Phone: 613-224-4455 Ext 2308
Fax: 613-224-5063
E-mail: Admissions@ocsb.ca
Registration tools
School locator
Enter your address and go!
French pathways
Explore our French pathways
Kindergarten
Offer the best possible start
Self identification
Honour indigenous ancestry
Transportation
Find out if you’re elgible
Child care
Before and after school care
Registration forms and supporting documents
We’ve made PDF registration packages for you to print yourself before you visit us to register. The following registration packages can be completed electronically, but cannot be saved to your computer, so make sure that you are able to print the package as soon as you have finished filling in the forms. You will also need to bring in specific identity documents to register your child for school. We’ve provided examples of the most common documents we accept, although we may accept others, if necessary. Download your registration package, collect your documents, and visit us today!
Do you need information in an alternate format?
Call us at 613-224-4455 Ext 2308 if you are having trouble viewing information on our website or require our registration forms in another format. We will be happy to speak with you and help you get the information you need. Email us at Accessibility@ocsb.ca if you need information presented to you in an alternate format. Tell us your name, what information you are looking for, and how to get it to you.
Proof of age
Birth certificates, passports, and immigration documents are all acceptable. To be eligible for Junior Kindergarten, your child must be 4 years old by December 31st of the year they start school.
Proof of address
Government documentation, lease or mortgage agreements, utility bills, and bank or credit card statement are all acceptable. A driver’s licence is not acceptable as proof of address.
Baptismal certificate
Roman Catholic Baptismal Certificate for either the student, a parent, step-parent, common law spouse, or non-custodial parent are acceptable for proof of Catholicity. This document would not be required if the student is accepted under our space availability provision.
School records
Report cards, transcripts (Grades 9-12), or Individual Education Plans (IEPs) from your child’s previous school, if available.
Validating custodianship
If you are serving as the custodian of a child and would like to register them in one of our schools, you will need to submit a legal affidavit. The document must be dated and signed by the child’s parent or legal guardian, and the custodian. A notary public or a lawyer must notarize an affidavit for custodianship of fee-paying international students. To be a custodian, you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, over 19 years of age, and currently live in Ottawa.
The following wording is required in the legal affidavit, prepared by the parent(s)/legal guardian(s):
- the custodian is responsible for physical care and control of said student
- the student will be residing in the custodian’s residence
- the student will be under the custodian’s authority
- the custodian will be responsible for daily discipline
A legal affidavit regarding custodianship is required for all students who do not reside with their parents while attending school in the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Alternatively, you may instead submit a notarized copy of our OCSB Custodianship Declaration form.
International students and temporary residents
We proudly embrace diversity and welcome students from all countries. International students are given the opportunity to learn about other cultures and make new friends while receiving quality education. We welcome international students at all grade levels in our schools, from Kindergarten to Grade 12. We make a special effort to help international students adjust to life in a new country.
Direction of school support
By registering your child in an OCSB school, you have chosen to support Catholic education through direction of your school support. You help foster a strong political voice through your elected representative (trustee) in ensuring your rights to a Catholic education for the young people in our province.