If you are like me, starting high school in the 1990's (okay, okay it was the '80's ;).....you had one choice - you went to the local high school with all your other friends - no options, no discussions.  This is SO not the case any longer!Navigating through this process with my grade 8 daughter last year, I couldn't believe the multitude of choices and the confusion that ensued.  We travelled from open house to open house in the hopes of finding some clarity, but ended up in a bit of a mom vs. teenager power struggle over which school we each thought was 'the one'.  There are A LOT of high school options in the west end of Toronto, depending on where your child's interests lie.  This is a great thing, but for the unprepared (me), it can also be a little daunting.This is my attempt to simplify this process a little bit, in the hopes that you have an easier time of this than I did!

Specialty Programs & Key Dates

Bishop Allen Academy (Catholic)

• Congregated Advanced Placement Program - an internationally recognized program that fosters success in higher education by encouraging students to develop critical thinking skills at the highest level

• application & strong academic performance in grades 7 & 8 required - application due November 24th and notification of acceptance is January 8, 2018

Bloor Collegiate - Open house November 9th at 6:30pm

• Talented Offerings in the Programmes of Sciences (TOPS) on Bloor program

• application and exam required - application available November 10th, which is to be brought to the exam, held December 1, 2017

Etobicoke School of the Arts - Parent open houses November 15th at 6pm & 7:30pm

• arts focus in dance, drama, music & film

• applications are due December 1, 2017

• acceptance dependent on audition - auditions are being held January 19, 2018

Humberside Collegiate - Open house January 17th at 7pm

• extended french & french immersion programs for students coming from feeder schools

• students in the english program must live within the school's catchment to attend

Parkdale Collegiate - Open house December 6th at 7pm

• International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme

• applications due January 11, 2018 (students with last names A-L) or January 12, 2018 (students with last names M-Z)

• IB Entrance Assessment also required

Runnymede Collegiate - Open house November 7th at 7pm

• Masters of Math, Science & Technology Program

• application and exam required - applications available on-line and should be brought to the exam, held November 25, 2017

Ursula Franklin Academy - Open house November 7th at 7pm

• Integrated technology & academics for the real world with a focus on 5 core values: spirit of inquiry, democracy, social justice, community of learners, and connected knowledge

• application and admissions assessment required - assessment must be scheduled on-line (link accessible as of November 7th) and held either November 29th at 4pm or December 2nd at 10am (350 spaces available per session)

• applications due December 11, 2017

• if the number of eligible students exceeds the number of spaces available, a lottery will be held on January 19, 2018

Western Technical-Commercial School - Open house November 2nd at 6:30pm

• Specialized High Skills Majors (SHSM) in leadership, design studio, engineering robotics & hospitality studies

• applications are available on-line and are due by January 12, 2018

Please click here, for a list of open houses at all TDSB schools. Happy open housing and the best of luck to all of you.....high school is a whole other post ;).