Overview

Recognition of student community involvement

Graduating students who complete 50 or more community involvement hours are eligible to receive the Minister’s Certificate of Recognition for Community Involvement.

This certificate recognizes students who exceed the 40‑hour graduation requirement and show exceptional commitment to their communities.

The certificate has 3 levels:

  • Bronze: 50–99 hours
  • Silver: 100–199 hours
  • Gold: 200+ hours

Graduation requirement

Students must still complete 40 hours of community involvement to earn their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).

The certificate does not replace this requirement.

Student eligibility

A student is eligible for a certificate if they:

Students may continue earning community involvement hours before receiving their diploma or certificate. Principals set the deadlines for earning these hours.

Students who graduated before the 2025–2026 school year are not eligible.

Student transfers

Students may transfer to a new (receiving) school from:

  • another school
  • home schooling
  • a non-inspected private school
  • a school outside of Ontario

School boards must have a process that explains how a student’s new school should receive information about community involvement hours completed before the student transferred.

Receiving principals must determine:

  • how many hours the students earned before their transfer
  • whether the student’s hours qualify for the Minister’s Certificate of Recognition for Community Involvement

Adult learners

Adult learners may receive a certificate if the principal verifies that their hours meet the certificate thresholds.

Verifying and recording hours

School boards set procedures for:

  • tracking and verifying student community involvement hours
  • ensuring hours are recorded and up to date before graduation

Principals are responsible for:

  • setting deadlines for students to submit community involvement hours
  • verifying a student’s earned community involvement hours
  • determining whether students qualify for the Minister’s Certificate of Recognition for Community Involvement
  • confirming that students who are continuing their studies (and have not yet received their OSSD, OSSC or COA) may continue to earn hours

The Ontario Student Transcript (OST) will continue to record whether a student has completed the 40‑hour community involvement graduation requirement.

The Ontario Provincial Report Card will continue to show:

  • whether the student has met the graduation requirement
  • the total number of community involvement hours earned in high school

Ordering, distributing and returning certificates

How to order certificates

Schools may order certificates at any time through the ministry’s secure online form in the Ontario School Information System (OnSIS).

If you do not have access to OnSIS, please contact the OnSIS support desk at onsis_sison@ontario.ca.

Orders are processed the same way as other ministry‑issued certificates. In May, we mail certificates to schools that ordered them for June graduation ceremonies. Ad hoc orders typically arrive by courier within 2 to 3 business days.

Distributing certificates

Schools must provide each eligible student with their Minister’s Certificate of Recognition for Community Involvement when they graduate.

Returning unused certificates

Each year, we account for diplomas and certificates to ensure alignment with graduate reporting data from schools.

At the end of every academic year, schools must return:

  • unused stock
  • excess certificates
  • damaged or spoiled certificates

Schools should return all diplomas and certificates by courier to:

Stakeholder Relations and Data Collections Unit
Ministry of Education
Education Data Branch
777 Bay Street, 4th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 2E5

Contacts for questions

Contact your school board’s OnSIS lead or regional office if you have questions about:

  • OnSIS access
  • certificate ordering
  • program requirements