Under the Ontario Education Act, every student with special needs is entitled to an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and access to an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)
What you need to know
- Ontario has 72 school boards, each with its own Special Education department
- Every board has a SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) that holds public meetings
Show all 5 factsShow fewer facts
- Start with your child's school principal, then escalate to the board's Special Education coordinator
- This directory covers all 72 Ontario district school boards
- Some contact details are the board's main line — ask to be connected to Special Education Services
Verified: 2026-08-10
Scope: Ontario, Canada
The children in these classrooms
School-age children make up the majority of families waiting for OAP services.
Registered
91,974Children registered
Total registered in the Ontario Autism Program
MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026, obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information
Funded
20,711Have active funding
Only 22.5% of registered children
MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026, obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information
Without active agreement
71,263Without an active funding agreement
An administrative status; it does not confirm current service delivery.
MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026, obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information
Verified , MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026
Show as table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Children registered | 91,974 |
| Have active funding | 20,711 |
| Without an active funding agreement | 71,263 |
FOI & Government Data
Last verified: May 13, 2026Sources: FAO Report 2023-24 (Financial Accountability Office of Ontario) · 2026 Ontario Budget (tabled March 26, 2026) · CBC News FOI investigation — bi-weekly OAP progress reports, Jun 2024 – Jan 2026, published Mar 30, 2026 (Nicole Brockbank & Angelina King) · MCCSS bi-weekly OAP Core Clinical Services progress reports, Dec 10, 2025 – Mar 4, 2026, obtained under Freedom of Information (release CSS2026-0749) · MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures as of May 13, 2026, released under Freedom of Information to the Ontario Autism Coalition and published in the OAC "OAP At A Glance" update, July 2026 (ontarioautismcoalition.com)School Board Directory
All 72 Ontario district school boards. Phone numbers connect to the Special Education department where published, otherwise the main board line — ask for Special Education Services.
Toronto District School Board
Toronto
Peel District School Board
Peel Region
York Region District School Board
York Region
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Ottawa
Durham District School Board
Durham Region
Halton District School Board
Halton Region
HDSB's Special Education Services Department, operating through Inclusive Student Services, serves Burlington, Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills. Congregated placements are called Specialized Learning Centres (SLC).
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
Hamilton
Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region
Thames Valley District School Board
London
TVDSB's ASD Resource Program supports most students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in their home school through regular class placements, with congregated ASD Classrooms for students needing more intensive support.
Simcoe County District School Board
Simcoe County
SCDSB's public-facing special education structure (department names, autism-specific staff, exact placement-program names) is not documented anywhere we can independently verify. Every Ontario school board, including SCDSB, is required to prepare and publish a Special Education Plan describing its programs, services, and placement continuum — that plan is the authoritative source for SCDSB's current offerings.
Toronto Catholic District School Board
Toronto
Upper Grand District School Board
Dufferin, Wellington, and Guelph
Trillium Lakelands District School Board
Kawartha Lakes, Muskoka, and Haliburton
Avon Maitland District School Board
Huron and Perth Counties
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
Clarington, Northumberland, Peterborough, and Quinte West
Limestone District School Board
Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington
Near North District School Board
Parry Sound, Nipissing, and Muskoka
Algoma District School Board
Lake Huron and Lake Superior regions (Spanish to Wawa)
Bluewater District School Board
Bruce and Grey counties
District School Board of Niagara
Niagara Region
District School Board Ontario North East
Ontario North East
Grand Erie District School Board
Brantford and counties of Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk
Greater Essex County District School Board
Essex County
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board
Hastings and Prince Edward
Keewatin-Patricia District School Board
Northwestern Ontario (Kenora, Dryden, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout)
Lakehead District School Board
Thunder Bay
Lambton Kent District School Board
Lambton County and Chatham-Kent
Rainbow District School Board
Northern Ontario (Sudbury, Espanola, Manitoulin Island)
Rainy River District School Board
Rainy River District, Northwestern Ontario
Renfrew County District School Board
Renfrew County
Superior-Greenstone District School Board
Superior-Greenstone, Northwestern Ontario
Upper Canada District School Board
Lanark, Leeds-Grenville, Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry, and Prescott-Russell counties
Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Conseil scolaire Viamonde
Greater Golden Horseshoe and Central Ontario
Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l’Ontario
Northern Ontario (Sudbury area)
Conseil scolaire de district du Nord-Est de l'Ontario
Northeast Ontario (North Bay area)
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board
Eastern Ontario (Napanee, Kingston, Belleville area)
Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board
Southwest Ontario (Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk counties)
Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board
Southwest Ontario (Bruce and Grey counties)
Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario (8 counties, Kemptville area)
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
Greater Toronto Area (Dufferin and Peel)
Durham Catholic District School Board
Greater Toronto Area (Durham)
Halton Catholic District School Board
Halton (Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, Oakville)
Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
Hamilton-Wentworth
Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board
Huron-Perth
Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board
Sault Ste. Marie area
Kenora Catholic District School Board
Kenora
Niagara Catholic District School Board
Niagara (Grimsby to Fort Erie)
Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board
Nipissing-Parry Sound (North Bay area)
Northeastern Catholic District School Board
Northeastern Ontario
Northwest Catholic District School Board
Northwestern Ontario
Ottawa Catholic School Board
Ottawa
Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board
Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland, Clarington
Renfrew County Catholic District School Board
Renfrew County
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
Simcoe County and Muskoka District
St. Clair Catholic District School Board
Lambton County and Chatham-Kent
Sudbury Catholic District School Board
Greater Sudbury and Southern Sudbury District
Superior North Catholic District School Board
Superior North (north of Lake Superior)
Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board
Thunder Bay
Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Waterloo Region
Wellington Catholic District School Board
Guelph and Wellington County
Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board
Windsor-Essex
York Catholic District School Board
York Region
Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est
Centre-Est (Ottawa area)
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir
South-Central Ontario (Peel, Halton, Durham, York)
Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l'Est ontarien
Eastern Ontario (Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott & Russell)
Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales
Northwestern Ontario (Thunder Bay area)
Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes-Rivières
Northern Ontario (Timmins, Hearst, Temiskaming Shores area)
Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario
Greater Sudbury and districts of Sudbury, Manitoulin, Algoma
Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord
District of Nipissing (North Bay, Mattawa, Bonfield, Astorville, Thorne, Sturgeon Falls, River Valley, Verner)
Conseil scolaire catholique Providence
Southwestern Ontario (Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, Sarnia-Lambton, London/Middlesex, Oxford-Woodstock, Grey-Bruce, Huron-Perth)
How to Contact Your Board
1
Start with your child's school principal
The principal is the first point of contact for special education concerns. They coordinate with the school's Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) and can initiate the IPRC process.
2
Ask for the board's Special Education Coordinator or Superintendent
If the school is unresponsive, escalate to the board level. Ask to speak with the Special Education Coordinator or the Superintendent of Education responsible for special education.
3
Request to attend or depute at a SEAC meeting
SEAC meetings are public. You can observe or formally register to depute, presenting your concerns directly to the committee on the record. Check your board's website for the schedule.
4
File a formal complaint if the board is unresponsive
If the board does not act, you can file a formal complaint. See our school board complaint process guide for step-by-step instructions.
What to Ask
When you contact your board's Special Education department, use these questions to get specific, actionable information.
- "What autism-specific supports does the board provide?"
- "How do I request an IPRC meeting?"
- "Does the board have an autism consultant or behaviour analyst?"
- "When is the next SEAC meeting and how do I register to depute?"
- "What is the board's policy on restraint and seclusion?"
Frequently Asked Questions
Legal authority for this page
- Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2. Government of Ontario (1990)
Verified References & Sources
Updated:Official Government Sources
- [1996]Adler v. Ontario, [1996] 3 S.C.R. 609Government RecordSupreme Court of Canada • Government • 1996-11-21
- [2019]Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 (Bill 124)Government RecordLegislative Assembly of Ontario • Government • 2019-11-07
- [2021]Bradford Bypass: Environmental Assessment Exemption Regulation (O. Reg. 220/21)Government RecordGovernment of Ontario • Government • 2021-04-09
- [2025]Canada Disability Benefit - How much you could receiveGovernment RecordGovernment of Canada • Government • 2025-06-20
- [2025]Canada Disability BenefitGovernment RecordGovernment of Canada • Government • 2025-06-20
Evidence on this page
The source chain stays visible.
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
Facts1
Sources1
Last system verification: 2026-08-10. Next scheduled update: 2026-11-05.
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