French Immersion - Grade 8-12

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 at least 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 French 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 Schools

To locate your Secondary French Immersion Catchment School, please go to: School Locator

Criteria for admission

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

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 2012/13 FAQ