CCSTA Member Highlight Series: OCSTA

We’re heading to Ontario for the next highlight in our Association Members Series! 

Ontario is home to Canada’s largest number of Catholic School students. Of the approximately 850,000 Catholic school students nation-wide, 570,000 of them attend Catholic schools in Ontario.

Not only is this the largest Catholic school system in Canada – but it’s considered one of the largest publicly-funded Catholic school systems in the world.

Known for their vitality and long-standing reputation of quality, faith-based education, the Ontario Catholic school system has played a significant role in protecting and defending Canadian parents’ rights to choose Catholic education.

“Inspired by the Gospel, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association provides the provincial voice, leadership and service for elected Catholic school trustees to promote and protect publicly funded Catholic education in Ontario.”

OCSTA WEBSITE

A look at the numbers…

Over 570,000 students attend Catholic Schools in Ontario.
64,268 staff
1300 Schools

A brief history…

The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association was formed 94 years ago. 

In the spring of 1930, Catholic school trustees from across the province gathered at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The goals of the gathering were to find a common means of strengthening the voice and position of Catholic school trustees of Ontario and support and grow their efforts in advocating for fair and equitable funding for Ontario’s growing Catholic school system. 

They ultimately succeeded in establishing the Ontario Separate School Trustees’ Association.

Through the efforts of those Catholic trustees and clergy who led OSSTA (now OCSTA – the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association) and Catholic school boards province-wide, Ontario’s Catholic school system grew to become what it is today – an internationally acclaimed, faith-filled school system considered to be one of the largest publicly funded Catholic school systems in the world.

Each year Ontario’s Catholic schools welcome, educate and nurture more than 570,000 students.

Funding Structure:

Fully funded

Protecting the Catholic Identity of Schools:

1. Through vigilance and monitoring of legislation and active provincial advocacy to provincial government leaders, OCSTA ensures that the denominational rights of Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic school system are respected and acknowledged in the policies and laws developed for the education sector.

2. A central goal of OCSTA is to support Catholic school trustees in their commitment to placing Christ at the centre of the student learning experience. 

OCSTA’s annual, year-long Catholic Education Week program and promotion (created by OCSTA 23 years ago) supports Catholic school boards in the celebration and promotion of Gospel values and Catholic faith traditions. 

Diocesan Involvement

OCSTA’s members represent Catholic school boards across Ontario that collaboratively work with local dioceses to animate and strengthen the distinctive Home-School-Parish dynamic that defines Catholic education in Ontario. 

At the provincial level, the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario (ACBO) appoints a representative to serve on the OCSTA Board of Directors as the ACBO Liaison. Each spring, Ontario Bishops join with OCSTA’s Catholic Trustee representatives and representatives of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association to advocate for Catholic education at the Provincial Legislature in Queen’s Park. This powerful advocacy effort is hosted by all three organizations under the successful joint initiative called the Friends and Advocates for Catholic Education.

Goals of the Association

1. Supporting Catholic School Trustees in their commitment to placing Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church at the centre of the learning experience in Catholic schools.

2. Strengthening the Association’s relationship with provincial political leaders to help advance the funding, legislative, programming and operational priorities of Ontario’s Catholic school boards.

3. Further develop and expand the capacity of Catholic Virtual Ontario to ensure access to Catholic school students as needed and when necessary.

Catholic Education Week

The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association created the first annual Catholic Education Week promotion and celebration for Ontario’s Catholic School Boards 23 years ago and establishes Catholic Education Week around the first week of May each year. In 2024 Catholic Education Week was May 5 -10.

For more information on Ontario Catholic schools or to access an incredible library of resources, check out OCSTA’s website.

A huge thank you to OCSTA for collaborating with us on this post!