Majority of Toronto students enrolled for in-person learning

Less than 5,000 Toronto students have registered for virtual learning in September, a significant decrease from the previous academic term.

According to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), about 3,300 elementary students and 1,500 secondary students have registered for virtual learning for the 2022-2023 school year.

In 2021-2022, there were 17,000 elementary students and 8,000 secondary students learning virtually.

“We had anticipated that that number would go down,” TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday. “I think for some, we know that in-person learning that works best for them. For others, sometimes virtual learning is the best route for them and has been through COVID.”

“There are a variety of reasons why that may be, perhaps the student themselves or a member of their close family may be immunocompromised or have some sort of medical concerns. So there are a number of reasons why it may occur. But you know, it's clearly much, much lower than it had had been in the past.”

Virtual learning will look similar to past years, Bird said. There will be a standalone virtual school designated for secondary students while elementary students will still technically be part of their regular school environment.

“They'll be still attending their local school and receiving, you know, the school newsletters and still part of that school community. Only they'll be learning virtually.”

Bird said the TDSB is still finalizing it’s guidance for September, but that classes will look about the same as last year as the COVID-19 precautions haven’t changed.

“The Ministry of Education has lifted most health and safety measures, although some still remain in place,” he said.

“We're still in the middle of finalizing a lot of that information and then we'll be sharing that with the system shortly.”

The Ontario government released their back-to-school plan in July; although the plan consisted primarily as a reminder of all the measures already put in place to help kids “catch up” and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms. This included investments in ventilation improvements and HEPA filter units, the provision of rapid COVID-19 tests for staff and students and funding for parents to offset the costs of online learning.

The government also promised to ensure extra curricular activities take place in person, something that is largely dependent on both school boards and teachers who volunteer their time.