Students in Canada and abroad are able to earn their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) completely online through Blyth Academy. In order to obtain an OSSD, students are required to earn a total of 30 credits, complete the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), and complete 40 hours of community service hours.
All of these requirements can be completed through Blyth Academy Online:
Completion of 30 Credits
Blyth Academy Online offers over 100 courses and continues to develop new ones each month. All compulsory course requirements are offered, with the exception of cooperative education. Please see our full list of course offerings.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
Generally, students write the OSSLT in March/April of their grade 10 year. This is a requirement for graduation. Regardless of the grade a student joins in, students must write the OSSLT. The Ontario Ministry of Education administers the test, however; Blyth Academy Online will arrange for the test to be written in the student’s home country for full-time students. Please note that the test date for the OSSLT is fixed year to year and cannot be changed.
If a student has had two opportunities to take the OSSLT and has failed it at least once, the student is eligible to enrol in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) in order to meet the literacy requirement. Principals have the discretion to allow a student to enrol in the OSSLC before he or she has had a second opportunity to take the OSSLT if the principal determines that it is in the best educational interest of the student.
Community Service Hours
Students are required to earn 40 hours of community service to earn an OSSD, however; students joining from outside of Ontario can be granted equivalent hours in the equivalency process. Students generally complete 10 hours per academic year; for example, a student joining in grade 11 from outside of Ontario would likely be required to complete only 20 hours instead of 40.
Blyth Academy also offers students the chance to complete their high school community service hours abroad through our International Summers Program and through our March Break Program.
Student Records
For students that have previously attended a school in Ontario, their Ontario Student Record (OSR) will be requested from the previous school, and Blyth Academy Online will become their home school. As the home school, Blyth Academy Online will maintain all of the student’s records and ultimately issue the OSSD.
For students that have not previously attended a school in Ontario, an OSR will be created for them. Blyth Academy Online will examine previous reports cards and transcripts for prior high school years and perform an equivalency process whereby Ontario credits can be granted for courses completed outside of Ontario; these credits will count toward the student’s 30 credit requirement.
Ontario Ministry of Education Resources
What do you need to graduate | Grade 9 Curriculum | Grade 10 Curriculum | Grade 11 Curriculum | Grade 12 Curriculum