The following three types of courses are offered in Grades 9 and 10 in Ontario: 

Academic or De-Streamed courses develop students’ knowledge and skills through the study of theory and abstract problems. These courses focus on the essential concepts of a subject and explore related concepts as well. They incorporate practical applications as appropriate. 

Applied courses focus on the essential concepts of a subject and develop students’ knowledge and skills through practical applications and concrete examples. Familiar situations are used to illustrate ideas, and students are given more opportunities to experience hands-on applications of the concepts and theories they study. 

Open courses, which comprise a set of expectations that are appropriate for all students, are designed to broaden students’ knowledge and skills in subjects that reflect their interests and prepare them for active and rewarding participation in society. They are not designed with the specific requirements of university, college, or the workplace in mind. 

The following five types of courses are offered in Grades 11 and 12 in Ontario: 

College preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for most college programs or for admission to specific apprenticeship or other training programs. 

University preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for university programs. 

University/college preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for specific programs offered at universities and colleges. 

Workplace preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the expectations of employers, if they plan to enter the workforce directly after graduation, or the requirements for admission to certain apprenticeship or other training programs. 

Open courses, which comprise a set of expectations that are appropriate for all students, are designed to broaden students’ knowledge and skills in subjects that reflect their interests and prepare them for active and rewarding participation in society. They are not designed with the specific requirements of university, college, or the workplace in mind. 

The York School offers the majority of its courses in the university preparation or academic stream. These courses focus on essential concepts, with greater emphasis on theory than on practical applications. Courses in the open stream are designed to enrich a student’s education generally, but may also lead to University Preparation courses in Grades 11 and 12. These open courses include Physical and Health Education, and the Arts. There are no courses offered in the applied, college, or workplace preparation stream. 

Some students may change their educational goals as they proceed through secondary school. When they decide to embark on a new pathway, they may find that they have not completed all of the prerequisite courses they need. 

In most cases, a student may enroll in a different type of course in a given subject in Grade 10 than the type the student completed in Grade 9, although doing so may require additional preparation, as recommended by the Principal. In the case of Mathematics, however, the sole prerequisite for the Grade 10 academic Mathematics course is the Grade 9 academic Mathematics course, so a student who is planning to move from the Grade 9 applied Mathematics course to the Grade 10 academic Mathematics course must take either the designated transfer course or the Grade 9 academic Mathematics course. 

In Grades 10 to 12, a student may change to a different type of course in a given subject provided that the student has taken any course specified as a prerequisite for that course. If the student has not done so, the student may take one of the specified prerequisite courses through summer school, night school, e-learning, the Independent Learning Centre, or independent study. If the Principal believes that a student can be successful in a particular course without having taken the specified prerequisite course, the Principal may waive the prerequisite.