My Niagara Catholic Grades 9 to 12 Student Census
The administration of a voluntary student census is a requirement by the Ministry of Education for all school boards, in compliance with the Ontario Anti-Racism Act. The census is an opportunity to learn more about our students and to identify diversity through the range of human qualities and attributes that make up our student community, including but not limited to, ability, ethnicity, gender, language, race, and religion.
The Niagara Catholic District School Board is dedicated to serving students and their families in its diverse school communities with the belief that all persons are created equal in the image of God, each with unique characteristics deserving of dignity. Embracing diversity in Niagara Catholic schools supports all students to learn and grow free from discrimination and barriers. The staff of Niagara Catholic are committed to ensuring that everyone feels included, has a strong sense of belonging, and is welcome in our schools.
The My Niagara Catholic Student Census will provide a greater understanding of who our students are so that we can more precisely identify and address systemic barriers and disparities to support improved student achievement and well-being for all students. This information is important to staff, students, and families, so that schools can create communities that are inviting, welcoming, and meaningful to all students.
There are two census:
- Kindergarten to Grades 8 Student Census that will be available for completion online at home by parents/guardians of elementary students.
- Grades 9 to 12 Student Census that will be available for completion online by high school students. Class time will be provided at school.
Parents/guardians will receive information about the census for each student in April and May through the email address of the contact on file with the school.
To view the questions and response options that are included in the Grades 9 to 12 online census survey, click on the link below:
My Niagara Catholic Grades 9 to 12 Student Census Questions
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions for the Grades 9 to 12 Student Census below.
For inquiries about the student census, please email studentcensus@ncdsb.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
The My Niagara Catholic Grades 9 to 12 student census is a voluntary and confidential online survey to be completed by high school students. The census includes questions about language, Indigenous identity, ethnic origin, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and status in Canada. The census provides an opportunity to identify diversity through the range of human qualities and attributes that make up our Niagara Catholic student community.
The student census is a requirement of the Ontario Ministry of Education for all school boards. Student census data is collected under the authority of the Ontario Anti-Racism Act, the Education Act, and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). We will only collect information in the census that is necessary for the purposes of complying with Ontario’s Anti-Racism Act and the Education Act.
The census questions and response options are derived from the census template provided by the Ontario Ministry of Education, and in alignment with Ontario's Anti-Racism Data Standards and the Ontario Human Rights Code.
As a Catholic school community, we believe that all persons are created equal in the image of God, and each with unique characteristics deserving of dignity. The Niagara Catholic District School Board is committed to serving students and their families in its diverse school communities and to ensuring that everyone feels included, has a strong sense of belonging, and is welcome in our schools.
The purpose of the My Niagara Catholic student census is to learn more about our students; their background, their experiences, and the qualities that make each person an individual. This information will help Niagara Catholic to create school communities that are inviting, welcoming, and meaningful to all students.
High school students will receive a personal link to the census in an email to their Niagara Catholic Gmail account. Students will use the link in the email to access and complete the online census during class time scheduled by the school in late May 2023.
Participation in the My Niagara Catholic student census is completely voluntary. Students will be provided with class time to complete the census, which should take about 15 minutes. The Niagara Catholic District School Board encourages all high school students to complete the census in order that the results will reflect the diversity of our student population. Parents/guardians listed as the contact with the school should receive an email with information about the participation (or opt-out) of their high school student in the student census in May 2023.
We hope that students will complete the census as fully as possible. However, students are welcome to skip any question or leave any question blank, and can exit the census at any time.
It is recommended that students complete the census using a Chromebook, laptop or desktop computer. Completing the census on a mobile phone may be an option (although it is more difficult to view on a small screen) if determined appropriate by the school. The census questions and response options can be translated into several different languages while you are in the online census.
The data collected is not anonymous, but it is confidential. Student census responses will be linked to a unique identification number that will be assigned to each student. The information collected from the census will be kept in confidence in secure data files that are password-protected and encrypted. Only those with authorization by the Niagara Catholic District School Board, including select staff from research and information technology departments, will have access to the individual data. Individual student data will not be disclosed. Only aggregated student data will be shared for required reporting purposes.
The My Niagara Catholic student census will be available to high school students in late May to June 2023. The school will make arrangements for census completion during class time for participating students.
High school students can ask their teachers for support while completing the census at school. For more general questions regarding the student census, you can contact the Equity and Inclusive Education Department of the Niagara Catholic District School Board via email to studentcensus@ncdsb.com.