Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 43 prior to 1999) is the separate school board that oversees 153 Catholic school facilities (125 elementary schools, 26 secondary or high schools and 2 continuing education schools or adult learning centers) throughout Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon) and Dufferin County (including Orangeville). It employs roughly 5,000 teachers; about 3,000 at the elementary level, and the remaining 2,000 at the secondary school and continuing education level. Its headquarters is on Matheson Boulevard West in Mississauga. The board was previously known as the Dufferin-Peel Separate School Board (DPSSB) before 1998. History The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is the successor to the Dufferin-Peel Separate School Board (French: Conseil des écoles séparées catholiques de Dufferin & Peel), which was established in 1969 by the merger of eight small separate boards. As of 1986 the Dufferin-Peel Separate School Board was Ontario's second largest Catholic school board. On January 1, 1998, the DPSSB was renamed to DPCDSB and its French schools within the board became part of the Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud. By 1999 the district had a co-operative transportation service with the Peel District School Board. During that year its school operation costs were $4.65 ($8.22 when adjusted for inflation) per square foot. The funding guidelines by a ministry were $5.20 ($9.19 when adjusted for inflation). Around the time of the DPSSB's existence, the board operated six francophone schools. Financial difficulties and government supervision The school board has experienced a significant drop in enrollment and recurring in-year deficits since 2018. It has had a growing overall deficit since 2021. In 2021 the Ontario Ministry of Education requested that the school board provide a multi-year financial recovery plan; however, the resultant plan did not meet the ministry's goals, and Deloitte LLP was appointed by the ministry to investigate the board's financial affairs. Deloitte's 2023 report showed a probable financial default and recommended that the ministry take over administration of the school board. The school board complied with the ministry's specific financial directives; however, its financial position continued to deteriorate and a second financial investigation, in June, 2025, showed an increasing accumulated deficit and a significant risk of financial default, and recommended ministry control of the board. Rick Byers, a former Member of Provincial Parliament with a background in finance and auditing, was appointed supervisor of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board on 27 June 2025. All trustee decisions, other than denominational matters, will be made by Byers. School bus transportation In addition to local transit systems Brampton Transit and MiWay (Mississauga Transit) there are a number of transportation providers under contract for the DPCDSB: Attridge Transportation Cook Bus Lines Denny Bus Lines First Student Canada Parkview Transit Switzer-Carty Transportation Schools As of 1999, there is one dual DPCDSB-Peel District School Board Catholic-secular public school. Continuing Education Blessed Trinity Catholic Centre For Learning St. Dunstan Catholic Language Learning Center St. Gabriel Adult Education Center St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Learning Centre Secondary schools Ascension of Our Lord Secondary School, Mississauga Cardinal Ambrozic Secondary School, Brampton Cardinal Leger Secondary School, Brampton Father Michael Goetz Secondary School, Mississauga Holy Name of Mary Secondary School (all girls school), Brampton. Iona Catholic Secondary School, Mississauga John Cabot Catholic Secondary School, Mississauga Loyola Catholic Secondary School, Mississauga Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School, Brampton Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School, Mississauga Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School, Mississauga Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School, Caledon St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School, Mississauga St. Augustine Catholic Secondary School, Brampton St. Edmund Campion Secondary School, Brampton St. Francis Xavier Secondary School, Mississauga St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School, Mississauga St. Joseph's Secondary School, Mississauga St. Marcellinus Secondary School, Mississauga St. Marguerite d'Youville Secondary School, Brampton St. Martin Catholic Secondary School, Mississauga St. Michael Catholic Secondary School, Caledon St. Oscar Romero Catholic Secondary School (alternative high school), Mississauga St. Paul Secondary School, Mississauga St. Roch Catholic Secondary School, Brampton St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School, Brampton Elementary schools Defunct Schools Blessed Trinity Elementary (repurposed for continuing education) Our Lady of the Airways Elementary (sold to the City of Mississauga) Mother Mary Ward Elementary (sold on open market to independent school) St. Dunstan Elementary (repurposed for continuing education) St. Gabriel Elementary (repurposed for continuing education) St. Gertrude Elementary (sold to Peel District School Board per Ontario Regulation 374/23) St. James Elementary (repurposed as a regional International Baccalaureate elementary school) St. Mary's Elementary (Port Credit) (leased to a child care operator) St. Michael Elementary (sold to the City of Mississauga) Controversies Enrolment of non-Catholics As with other school boards, Catholic high schools are funded by the provincial government, making them open to any students who wish to attend, while elementary schools do not have to enrol non-Catholic students. Critics argue that the practice of fully funding separate schools exclusively for the Roman Catholic faith is discriminatory to other religions (the United Nations has twice criticized the province for this policy). Supporters of the current Catholic education system point out that it has existed, in one form or another, since Confederation, and that the Constitution Act, 1867 enshrines the right to government-funded religious education to all Catholics. The opposition argues that this is an appeal to tradition, and point to other provinces in Canada which amended the constitution to abolish Catholic school funding. It is up to the school principal whether or not non-Catholics are enrolled. “Black Boys” book The board encountered controversy in 2019 when a book, titled The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys, was shown on the principal's desk. This sparked various online debates on the internet. The book, written by American researchers and published in 2017, provides help and advice for teachers to create learning environments in which black students feel nurtured and engaged. See also Peel District School Board Upper Grand District School Board List of school districts in Ontario List of high schools in Ontario Archdiocese of Toronto References External links Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board