Every course in an Ontario Secondary School has a six-character course code with each character identifying the course discipline, grade, course type or pathway, and a school-specific program.
Consider this example: ENL1W1
The first character identifies the course discipline, which in this example is Canadian and World Studies.
- A = Arts
- B = Business Studies
- C = Canadian and World Studies
- E = English or English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Literacy Development (ELD)
- F = French
- G = Guidance and Career Education
- H = Humanities and Social Sciences
- I = Interdisciplinary Studies or Computer Studies
- L = Classical Studies and International Languages
- M = Mathematics
- N = First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
- P = Physical and Health Education
- S = Science
- T = Technological Education
The fourth character identifies the grade level, which in this example is Grade 9.
- 1 = Grade 9
- 2 = Grade 10
- 3 = Grade 11
- 4 = Grade 12
- Note: ESL/ELD courses use the letters A, B, C, D, and E to differentiate courses but are not linked to specific grade levels
The fifth character identifies the course type or pathway, which is Academic in this example.
- W = Destreamed
- D = Academic
- P = Applied
- L = Locally Developed
- O = Open
The sixth character is used by school's to identify specific programs in YRDSB.