Parents must contact the Newcomer & International Student Welcome Center (NISWC) to register. You will need to call or email the NISWC to make an appointment to register your child if:

• Your child was born outside of Canada……………..or
• The language spoken most often at home is not English

• Kindergarten to Grade 12 students born outside Canada, regardless of language spoken at home
• Kindergarten to Grade 12 students born in Canada who do not speak English at home and/or whose parents do not have Canadian Citizenship

• We will collect the documentation, as outlined in the pre-registration form and will complete the registration process
• We will tell you about our School District and the programming for your child
• We will schedule a time for your child to start school
• The process will take approximately ½ hour

You do not need to bring your child(ren) with you, however, they are more than welcome to come.  We encourage both parents to come to learn more about the education system in New Brunswick and to have an opportunity to ask questions

Children must be five years old before the end of December to be eligible to start school in September of that calendar year

You can register your child for school as soon as you arrive and have an address in the community.  We offer continuous enrollment and register new students throughout the school year.  Although we make every effort to place a student in their community school, students who arrive part way through the school year may need to be accommodated in a school that is not in their community, if there are space limitations.  A student would attend their community school the following year.

For students born outside of Canada, we need to ensure they have all the proper documentation to be eligible for school in NB.  For students born in Canada but parents who are not Canadian Citizens, documentation must be submitted for approval of school privileges. Students not registered with the NISWC would not receive EAL support, if required.  As well, we can help to support any questions you may have about your child attending school.

If you live in a rural area of Anglophone South School District, arrangements can be made for an alternate registration process by contacting NISWC

No.  Once you do your initial registration with the Center, the schools will automatically advance your child, as required.

Yes, you can by contacting the Center.  That said, due to vacations, etc. appointments may not be available every week, however, we will get back to you as quickly as possible with an appointment time.

Please refer to the Registration Checklist for the required documents.  Please bring original documents and we will make copies for our files.

• Refer to School Eligibility to determine if your child’s school will change based on your new address and which school they will now attend.  If the school does not change simply advise the current school of the new address.
• If the new address does require a change in school, visit the new school with proof of the new address to fill out the necessary documents.  They will confirm if space is available at their new school and will provide a date to begin classes there. You should also let your current school know that your child will be leaving.
• Your new school will notify your old school and arrange to transfer the student records.
• If there is a change in address and/or school during the summer months, please contact the NISWC to help you facilitate this change.
• If you are moving out of the Anglophone South School District boundary, please contact the school to let them know.

It is also IMPORTANT to let the Newcomer & International Student Welcome Center know if your child will be changing schools and/or moving out of the School District.

School report cards or transcripts are used by school administrators to better understand the student’s educational background and to help them make appropriate decisions regarding programs and courses

The registration cannot be completed and your child will not be able to attend school until all relevant documents have been submitted.

All documents must have English translation for registration.  Translations must be certified by a professional.

If you are renting an apartment or house, you can bring your lease agreement. If you own your home, you can bring your NB Property Tax Assessment or a copy of your Purchase and Sale Agreement.  In either case you can provide a recent utility bill or statement with your name and address on it.

You can register for school as soon as you have confirmed a permanent residence.  If you have purchased a home or signed a rental agreement for a future date, you can register for school in that community, even before you officially move in.  Transportation would be the responsibility of the parent until they move into the new residence.

Students are registered based on where they live.  However, you may complete a Transfer Request Form to apply for your child to be registered in a school outside of your zone.  This request is reviewed by the Director of Schools for a decision and acceptance is not a guarantee.  There must be a justifiably defined educational need or purpose for the request.  If approved, transportation would be the responsibility of the parent.

If the parent has a Work Permit, Parental Study Permit (and is attending a full-time course at a designated learning institute) or Permanent Residence status, there is no tuition fee.

According to the Education Act, only children living with a parent/legal guardian in NB can attend school without paying fees.  If you do not have one parent living with you full-time that has immigration status in NB, you will be required to pay tuition, regardless of the student status.

• Any student wishing to study in Anglophone South School District who will not be living with a parent will be referred to Atlantic Education International.  Atlantic Education International (AEI) supports 11-18 year olds from around the world who wish to come for an English-language Immersion experience in a public school for one semester, the full year, or a 4 to 12 week stay through the New Brunswick International Student Program (NBISP).

• The School District does not arrange homestays.  Atlantic Education International (AEI) is the only agent authorized by the New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood to provide this service.​

• During COVID recovery phase, all restrictions and guidelines are reviewed on a regular basis and may impact changes to the above.

• We can provide a Conditional Letter of Acceptance to Anglophone South School District.  We would need the following:
  • Newcomer International Student Registration Form (complete as much information as possible)
  • Application Fee of $250.00 (Canadian Funds)

• The letter would be emailed to the email address provided

• A non-refundable application fee of $250.00CDN must be paid prior to the issuance of the letter.  An invoice for this amount will be sent to you.  We DO NOT accept e-transfers or electronic credit card payments.  This fee may be paid by cheque or bank draft made payable to The Minister of Finance and sent to the following address:

Newcomer & International Student Welcome Center
Anglophone South School District
490 Woodward Avenue
Saint John, NB E2K 5N3

Tuition is refunded by cheque and is issued to the same person who originally paid.  The $250 application fee is non-refundable.

For your child to attend school without paying tuition:

• The child’s parent/guardian’s study permit must be for the duration of their official course of studies
• The child’s parent/guardian must be enrolled in a degree or diploma program at a publicly funded institution or in a degree program at a private post-secondary institution in NB.  The following is a list of institutions that would fall under Section 12 of the Regulation.  This was developed with assistance and clarification from PETL (Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour):
  • An educational institution designated under the Degree Granting Act (Yorkville University and the University of Fredericton)
  • An educational institution, as defined in the Degree Granting Act, that is established under an Act of the Legislature (University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University, St. Thomas University, Université de Moncton, Crandall University, Kingswood University , St. Stephen’s University and The New Brunswick Bible Institute)
  • An institution established or operated  under the Adult Education and Training Act (i.e. New Brunswick College of Craft and Design)
  • Maritime College of Forest Technology
  • The Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB)
  • The New Brunswick Community College (NBCC)
• It should be noted that there are other educational institutions in the Province which are under the Private Occupational Training Act (POTA).  As these institutions are under POTA, and POTA is not one of the act mentioned under Section 12 of the Regulation, dependent children of parents attending those institutions would not be eligible for free school privileges.
• The Private Occupational Training Act governs private college institutions.  The Act excludes registration of language schools and religious schools. Click here for the current list of POTA institutions.

For a child to go to school without paying tuition:

• The child’s parent/legal guardian must have a valid work permit issued by IRCC that is valid for a term of one year or more,  AND
• The child’s parent/legal guardian must be a resident of New Brunswick

To see if your child requires a study permit click here

Children who are already enrolled in schools will not be withdrawn from school while their parent/legal guardian is dealing with immigration matters, provided they submit supporting documentation that they are in a transitional period (e.g. changing status from Temporary Foreign Worker to Permanent Resident or Study permit, etc.)  Other cases will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Each school has its own unique culture; however all schools deliver curriculum and hire teachers/staff as outlined by the NB Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

• Students are placed based on birthdate and will normally be placed in their age appropriate grade level:

Grade placement based on age of the student as of December 31st

Your child’s school will be assigned based on where you live and providing there is space at registration time.  Parents do not choose schools.

After you have registered your child and all documents are submitted, we will inform the school of the registration and your child will start usually within 2 days.

If a grade level or school is at capacity level, he or she will be placed in another school per district approval.  A student can transfer back to their community school when/if a space becomes available or they can choose to wait until the beginning of the new school year.  Transportation will be arranged for the student by the school district if your child is placed in another school temporarily that is more than 1.5 km from your residence.

If your child has special learning needs, bring all available records, assessments, learning plans to the registration appointment with you.  We will send a copy of these records to the school and the Educational Support Services team who will work with you to identify required supports for your child.

Your child’s English language skills will be assessed once they are in school.  Extra language support will be provided, if required, by EAL teachers at your child’s school.

Please refer to your child’s school website for more information on school fees.

• Yes, students who live more than 1.5km from their school are eligible for transportation.
• Parents are responsible for the safety of their children to and from the school bus stop.  Parents of children in Kindergarten to Grade 2 are required to escort their children to/from the bus stop morning and afternoon or to/from their home as walking student’s morning and afternoon.  Click here to see if your child is eligible for bussing.

Students are required to fulfill the requirements set by the Education and Early Childhood Department.  Click here for further information.

The Anglophone South School calendar has information about the school year. An explanation of these holidays can be found here​.

Parents and local community members dedicate time, energy, and enthusiasm to school projects, and they are the backbone of many special programs and initiatives.  If you have any free time, you can become a school volunteer.  There are many ways to get involved and your child’s school would be more than happy to give you some ideas.

The safety of students is our number one priority.  All adults, including volunteers who work in our schools must do an online training regarding the safety of children and provide a police background check. ​Please check with your child’s school for more information on volunteering.​