The Ministry of Education is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Ontario’s public and early childhood education system. Under the Education Act, the Ministry is responsible for:

• Setting the provincial curriculum (what students will learn in each grade)
• Allocating funding to school boards
• Setting policies and guidelines for school boards
• Establishing the requirements for graduation diplomas and certificates
• Creating lists of approved textbooks and learning resources

The Minister of Education and the Associate Minister (for Early Years and Child Care) are elected Members of Provincial Parliament (MPP), and are appointed by the Premier.

For more information, visit the Ministry of Education.

The EQAO is an independent government body that administers province-wide testing to every student in grades 3, 6, 9 and 10. It provides test results to individual students, school boards and the province. The EQAO also surveys students in those grades, as well as principals and teachers, and provides results from these attitudinal and behavioural questionnaires to school boards.

The EQAO is is responsible for:

• Developing and administering tests in reading, writing and math
• Reporting test results to the Ministry and the public
• Providing recommendations to improve test results

For more information, visit the EQAO website.

The Ontario College of Teachers regulates the teaching profession. It is responsible for:

• Establishing the requirements for a teaching certificate and setting standards for teacher training programs
• Maintaining a provincial register of qualified teachers
• Investigating complaints against teachers

For more information, visit the Ontario College of Teachers website.

There are 72 school boards in Ontario, including 31 English public boards, 29 English Catholic boards, 4 French public boards, and 8 French Catholic boards. There are also several ‘school authorities’ that oversee schools in hospitals, treatment centres, and in remote regions.

School boards are responsible for:

• deciding how to spend the funds they receive from the province for things like hiring teachers and other staff, building and maintaining schools and purchasing school supplies
• deciding to close schools or build new schools
• providing programs in schools such as special education, programs for newcomers, and French Immersion
• developing local education policy (eg. safe schools, homework)
• setting an annual balanced budget for the school board
• ensuring schools follow the rules set out in the Education Act
• establishing a school council at each school and a Parent Involvement Committee for the board.

For more information about Ontario’s school boards, visit:

Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) – English public school boards
Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) – English Catholic school boards
Association des conseils scolaires des écoles publiques de l’Ontario (ACEPO) – French public school boards
Association franco-ontarienne des conseils scolaires catholiques (AFOCSC) – French Catholic school boards

Trustees are elected to the school board during municipal elections, and act as the locally elected representatives of the public and parents. Trustees receive an annual honorarium that ranges from $6,000 to $26,000. School trustees are responsible for:

• establishing a board’s mission, vision, values, goals and climate
• developing multi-year board plans to achieve the board’s goals, consulting with parents, students and supporters of the board on the plan and bringing feedback to the attention of the board
• ensuring conditions in the board promote student achievement and well-being
• ensuring effective stewardship of the school board’s budget and resources
• making decisions about policy direction. Overall policy decisions are made by the trustees with input from the community, and based on the advice of staff. Day-to-day decisions are left to staff.
• Participating in decisions that benefit the entire board and upholding the resolutions of the board
• Hiring and reviewing the performance of the board’s director of education
• Participating in committees, such as the Special Education Advisory Committee, and the Parent Involvement Committee, and participating in quasi-judicial committees such as those responsible for suspensions and expulsions and special education appeals.

For more information about trustees and their work, read:
The Role of School Board Trustees

Or visit:

Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) – English public school boards
Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) – English Catholic school boards
Association des conseils scolaires des écoles publiques de l’Ontario (ACEPO) – French public school boards
Association franco-ontarienne des conseils scolaires catholiques (AFOCSC) – French Catholic school boards

Student trustees represent the interests of students at school board meetings. They are elected by their fellow students, and play an active role in the decision-making process at the board.  For more information about student trustees and the role they play in Ontario’s education system, visit the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association website.

The Director of Education is the Chief Executive Officer for the school board, and is appointed by the trustees. The director is responsible for overseeing the operations of the school board, including the management of business services, improvement of student academic performance, and the operation and maintenance of school buildings. For more information, visit the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE) website.

School superintendents or “supervisory officers” are board staff responsible for groups of schools in each school board. Superintendents may be involved in suspension appeals, special education meetings, and requests to attend a school other than the home school.

Superintendents may also be assigned by the board to oversee board-wide programs (e.g. Superintendent for special education).

For more information, visit the Ontario Public Supervisory Officers’ Association.

Parent Involvement Committees (PICs) are board-level committees who help school boards work more effectively with parents. Members include parents (must be the majority), the Director and one or more trustees. Under Regulation 330/10, Parent Involvement Committees are responsible for:

• providing information and advice on parent engagement to the board
• communicating with and supporting school councils
• Organizing activities to help parents support their children’s learning at home and at school.

Principals are responsible for the management of individual schools. They may have one or more vice-principals assigned to help them. Principals are responsible for:

• overseeing the teaching and curriculum in the school and making decisions about the School Improvement Plan
• supervising teachers and other staff
• admitting students and making decisions about special education placements
• administering the school’s budget and ensuring the building is maintained
• making decisions about the allocation of specialized staff such as department heads, arts specialists or library staff
• maintaining student records and ensuring report cards are sent to parents
• overseeing student discipline and making decisions about suspensions and recommendations for possible expulsions
• working with the school council to encourage parent involvement, assist in decisions about fundraising, and develop new policy about things like homework and the school’s Code of Conduct

For more information, visit one of the provincial principals’ organizations:

Ontario Principals’ Council

Catholic Principals Council of Ontario

Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes

Teachers in Ontario must have a recognized teaching certificate in order to teach students in the public education system. Teachers are responsible for:

• preparing lesson plans, teaching classes, and evaluating student progress
• maintaining discipline in the classroom
• running extra-curricular sports, clubs and activities (voluntary)
• communicating with parents about students’ progress

For more information, visit Ontario’s teacher federations:

Ontario Teachers’ Federation (umbrella organization)

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario

Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation

Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens

School councils provide advice to the principal and school board. Every school must have a school council, and members include parents, the principal, a teacher, a student (in high schools), a non-teaching staff member, and a community representative. The majority of members must be parents, and the chair must be a parent. Principals do not vote on school council decisions.

School councils are governed by Ontario Regulation 612, which sets out the purpose, membership and election requirements.  Under section 2(1), the purpose of the school council is « through the active participation of parents, to improve pupil achievement and to enhance the accountability of the education system to parents. »

School councils are responsible for:

• Sharing information with parents and the community, and seeking their input on matters the council is discussing.
• Providing advice to the principal and school board on issues such as school year calendars, strategies to improve school performance, codes of conduct and dress, curriculum priorities, safe arrival programs, community use of schools and community programs provided at the school, selection criteria for principals and board policies that will affect the school.

Many school councils are also actively involved in organizing social events for the school community and fundraising events. Council meetings are open to everyone in the community, so you do not have to be a member to attend. The Ministry of Education has developed a school council guide to assist school councils in their work.

Most high schools in Ontario have a student council. The student council is elected by students in the school, and represents all students and their interests at school, on the school council, and at the school board. Student councils are often involved in planning activities and events for students, and may also organize fundraising activities to support school programs or charitable causes.