REGULATION 5118.2
STUDENT ENROLLMENT AND TRANSFERS
Access to Education
1. Catchment areas shall be set by the Board by considering relevant factors, including:
a. population distribution
b. school location
c. school capacity
d. accessibility of schools
2. A student’s catchment area is determined by where the parents’ ordinary residence is situated. Parents may be required to provide documentation, which the School District deems appropriate, as proof of residency. In addition or in absence of sufficient documentation, parents may be required to complete a statutory declaration upon request.
3. Subject to the enrollment priorities listed by section 74.1 of the School Act, the Board may assign and reassign students to specific schools or educational programs.
Enrollment Priorities
1. If space and facilities are deemed available at a school, enrollment priority shall occur in accordance with the following list:
Priority 1: Re-enrolling students
Priority 2: A catchment area sibling
Priority 3: A new catchment area child
Priority 3.5: A non-catchment sibling that would have been in catchment but for the changes to boundaries instituted in the 2020/2021 school year
Priority 4: non-catchment sibling
Priority 5: A non-catchment area child
Priority 6: A non-school district child
2. The sibling priorities apply when the elder sibling is in attendance at the requested school at the time of the request and for the next school year.
3. Families who could not access their catchment school will have first right of refusal at their catchment school if a seat becomes available. Should such a family decide to stay in their current non-catchment school, or if no seat becomes available, they will be treated as catchment students at their current non-catchment school and pathway.
4. Enrollment priorities apply to all students transitioning from elementary to middle-school as well as from middle-school to high-school. If space for enrollment is limited, priority shall be given to those non-catchment students currently in the determined pathway of schools over other non-catchment, non-pathway students.
5. A student who is leaving a French Immersion program at a school which is not their English catchment school will have to apply for a transfer to attend the English Program.
6. A student who is leaving a program of choice (e.g., Sports academy) at a non-catchment school will have to apply for a transfer to remain at the school.
7. Despite the registration priorities, the Superintendent maintains the authority to place students where the circumstances warrant.
References
Registration Handbook for Parents
Greater Victoria School District
Approved: December 18, 2017
Revised: June 24, 2019
Modification to this document is not permitted without prior written consent from the Greater Victoria School District.
Regulation 5118.2