Ontario’s education minister, together with the Ministry of Education, announced on Wednesday that beginning in September 2026 students who are involved in organized sports may be excused from regular class sessions, and that school attendance will count for either ten percent or fifteen percent of a learner’s final mark for the 2026‑27 academic year.
The policy will be implemented at the start of the 2026‑27 school year and will apply uniformly across all publicly funded schools in the province. Attendance recorded for the ten‑percent or fifteen‑percent component will be calculated alongside the existing academic grades, ensuring that the portion of the mark reflects both classroom presence and sport‑related absences.
The change is intended to accommodate student athletes by providing a formal mechanism for class excusal while still incorporating attendance into overall academic assessment. By assigning a fixed percentage to attendance, the ministry aims to balance the demands of competitive sport participation with the province’s educational objectives.
Schools will need to adjust grading procedures to include the attendance percentage, and teachers will be responsible for tracking eligible sport‑related absences that qualify for excusal. The policy provides a clear framework for schools to recognize athletic commitments without penalizing students in the calculation of their final grades.
The attendance grading revision is part of a broader review of Ontario’s education policies and is slated to take effect when classes resume for the 2026‑27 term.
The adjustment aligns with the ministry’s objective to integrate attendance and extracurricular involvement into a single evaluative component. By setting the attendance weight at either ten or fifteen percent, the province offers flexibility for schools to choose the proportion that best fits their existing grading structures while maintaining a consistent approach across the education system.