French Immersion - Grade 8-12

The Program

The secondary component of the French Immersion program provides students with the opportunity to continue their studies and the development of higher level thinking and verbal skills in their second language. Successful graduates of the full program at the end of Grade 12 receive a Bilingual Graduation Certificate in addition to the provincial "Dogwood" certificate.

The early Immersion program provides one-half of the school day in French-language study for the full seven years of the Intermediate Program (Grades 4-10). The subjects taught in Grades 8-10 are a natural continuation of the child's elementary experience and, thus, pose no unreasonable challenges as students make the transition to secondary school. By continuing into secondary in French Immersion, students maintain and extend their expertise in French in a way they cannot do in other programs.

The late Immersion students take an identical program of studies in the secondary years as their early Immersion counterparts. Beginning in grade 11, the amount of time in French is further reduced by one-half. This arrangement enables the students to pursue specialized courses to meet post-secondary requirements. Then, in grade 12, a further reduction in time spent in French occurs. Francais 12 permits the Immersion students to maintain their French proficiency in their final year of school. This is illustrated on the following table.

A Fourth Required Course (varies with School)   

Secondary Immersion Centres

To locate your Secondary French Immersion Catchment School, please go to: School Location Search by Postal Code

Criteria for admission

Completion of an elementary French Immersion program (or its equivalent if transferring from another province or country).

Application Procedures

Students must complete an application form to continue in secondary French immersion. Completed application forms are returned to the student's elementary school.

Sir Winston Churchill -  FI Department Head contact, Carl Larouche

Kitsilano Secondary - FI Department Head contact, Lukas Morel (acting)

Vancouver Technical Secondary  - FI Department Head contact, Pierre Grenier

For general information you can also contact the Consultant for Modern Languages in Learning Services, (604) 713-5202.

Learning a new language "opens doors to knowledge, improves communication skills and provides an advantage in the increasingly competitive workplace." P. Prehaut, Canadian Parents for French.

Please click on links below for more information on the French Immersion programs for elementary and secondary students through the Vancouver School Board.

• Do you have a question about the VSB's French Immersion program? Read through our 2010/11 FAQ

French Immersion Overview

Early French Immersion  

• The most common point of entry is Kindergarten.  Students may enter in Grade 1 if space is available.

• Registration for 2010/2011 will be accepted during office hours (9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) between November 2^nd, 2009 and January 29^th, 2010. 

• Registration forms are to be picked up and submitted to the French Immersion elementary school in the applicant's catchment area, beginning November 2.  To locate your French Immersion catchment school, please refer to French Immersion School Boundaries in the Schools section. Late applicants, please refer to the 2010/11 FAQs above.

Please note:   

Information sessions for parents/students interested in early and/or late French Immersion will be held on Wednesday, November 18^th, 2009, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at all elementary French Immersion schools. 

Because the information at each site will be similar, parents are encouraged to attend the sessions at their French Immersion neighbourhood school. 

Note following two exceptions:

1. Jules Quesnel and Queen Elizabeth Annex will hold a common information session at Queen Elizabeth Annex.            
2. There will be no information session at Sir James Douglas (French Immersion program is Grade 4-7).

At the end of the registration period, if there are insufficient spaces to allow for the in-catchment students, a draw will be held for entry. The in-catchment draw will be supervised by the Principal, parent representatives from the school Parent Advisory Committee and/or the Canadian Parents for French (CPF). 

2010/11 French Immersion Registration Process 

For additional information on 2010/11 French Immersion registration, please refer to the