Quick Facts
- Our school welcomes approximately 1400 students from Grades 9 to 12 each year.
- We offer English and French Immersion programs.
- Most students who attend West Carleton come from Jack Donohue PS, Huntley Centennial PS, Stephen Leacock PS, St. Michael's ES, Stonecrest PS, and W.E. Johnston PS.
Registration
Interested in registering your child at our school? Contact us or visit the OCDSB Registration Page for more information.
“We Are West! Learning, Responsibility, Respect”
This slogan reflects our sense of community and our focus on key values that are essential to all students regardless of academic goals or destinations.
Our School
West Carleton Secondary School serves a large geographical area stretching from Arnprior to the western part of Kanata and is an important resource for the surrounding community for use by local groups for athletic and other community programs. It is situated on 107 acres of field, wetland, and forest. Our space is shared with the Bill Mason Centre, an outdoor education and environmental studies centre.
Academic Programs
As a composite community school we prepare our students for post-secondary education and employment. We offer a complete academic program in English, Math, Science, Canadian & World Studies, Social Sciences and a Languages program including Spanish and both French Immersion and Extended French certificates. Additionally we offer an Arts program including Music, Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, Photography, and Computer Art; Transportation, Construction and Communication Technologies; a Technical Skills Internship Program featuring a house-building partnership with local builders that includes an opportunity to obtain a Specialist High Skills Major certification; an excellent Physical and Health Education Department with expertise in Outdoor Education; and interdisciplinary programs such as Police Services and Fire Protection and Yearbook. Our Student Success program provides students with specialized literacy, numeracy and academic assistance and also involves credit recovery to support student success. A Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program is available for interested students.
Special Education and ESL Programs
Our Learning Support Teachers work with students who require additional assistance and supports. They offer educational support within the classroom and in our resource center. A Learning Strategies course is also offered and we provide specialized support for students through our Student Success Teacher and Program. Enrichment opportunities are available for students who wish to take advantage of them. Our Student Success Team provides both short and long term support for credit rescue and credit recovery opportunities for our students as well as providing support for students taking e-learning and Independent Study courses.
Clubs and Activities
Students are encouraged to participate fully in school life. We offer a wide range of co-curricular activities including:
- an active Intramural program providing students with a lunch hour activity-based program;
- a full range interscholastic athletic program that includes over 20 teams for both boys and girls;
- Student Council initiatives such as dances, coffee houses and spirit days;
- fundraisers for charitable organizations;
- student activities and clubs to support a wide range of interests such as an anime club, improv team, school newspaper; art club, creative writing club, leadership camps, social justice club, GSA, debate team, the CoExist Crew, ski and snowboard club, environmental club, book club, D&D club, Ultimate team, and concert and jazz bands;
- musical, dramatic, and dance performances and a variety of other opportunities that enrich student experience.
- knowing the connection between eating breakfast and success at school, we run a breakfast club daily before class.
Our school is organized to provide a complete academic program in all pathways leading to a full range of opportunities for post-secondary education, apprenticeships and the world of work. The semestered structure offers many opportunities for students in areas such as House Building and other specialized Technology courses, Cooperative Education, Fine Arts, and Outdoor Education programs. All areas of the school have wireless internet access. Computers are widely available for class and individual use and students are encouraged to bring their own technology to support learning in all subject areas.
Our school is a very modern and well-equipped facility. We have:
- a tech wing with transportation, construction, communications labs and an exploring technologies facility;
- an arts wing containing a drama studio, a music studio, visual and computer arts classrooms;
- a double and single gym, a weight room, a fitness centre, a large dance studio, and a climbing wall including high rope elements;
- a library with an attached computer lab; four other fixed computer labs and three mobile computer labs, a kitchen classroom for food and nutrition instruction, modern science labs, and other specialized learning classrooms;
- a video projector in every classroom (including portables) and 23 classrooms equipped with SmartBoard technology.
A strong commitment to Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility is embedded throughout the OCDSB 2023-2027 Strategic Plan and captured within each area of focus: learning, well-being, and social responsibility. We strive to ensure that our school is a welcoming and safe place for students of all identities to feel valued and respected as they engage, learn, grow, explore, and discover.
For more information, please visit the OCDSB’s Equity and Diversity website.