New school year begins at Montreal’s French-language schools
Posted August 27, 2025 8:55 am.
Last Updated August 27, 2025 3:26 pm.
The new school year is underway for more than 116,000 students across the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM), marking an increase of nearly 2,000 students in the past two years.
Among them, students at École primaire Maisonneuve returned Wednesday, ready to begin a year of learning, friendships, and fresh starts.
Staff across 185 schools are set to support students from preschool to adult education, with more than 20,500 employees working to help each student succeed.
“Today is back-to-school day for our 115,000 students,” said Isabelle Gélinas, executive director of the CSSDM. “We’re very happy to welcome all our students and staff.”
No phones, all day
In line with new provincial regulations, personal mobile devices — including phones and headphones — are now banned during the school day at all CSSDM schools. Each school is expected to implement the policy in its own way.
Gélinas said teams at each school have been preparing for the transition since the directive was issued.
“The teams have been preparing specifically to make this change with the students. So, we’re convinced that, over time, it will settle in well. We also organized a promotional campaign around cellphone use. So, we’re saying ‘connect, but differently.’ We want our students and our school teams to be connected to their learning, to their environment, to their friends, instead of being connected to their cellphones. So we’re going to work a lot on that. Obviously, it will be rolled out gradually, but we’re convinced that people, school teams and students will gain something from it in the long run,” she said.
A new rule around respectful language is being phased in this year, with schools expected to update their codes of conduct by January 2026. The policy encourages students to address staff using formal titles like “Sir” or “Madam” instead of first names, and to use the formal French pronoun “vous” rather than the informal “tu.”
“We’re gradually implementing the new rule,” said Gélinas.
She added that she has not yet received negative feedback from parents and believes most understand the intent of the new rules.
Supporting newcomers and growth
The CSSDM plays a key role in welcoming and integrating new arrivals to Quebec. This year, 4,500 students are enrolled in French-language welcome classes — 700 of them joined during the summer.
The organization also covers preschool, elementary, high school, adult education, and vocational training, making it the largest school service centre in the province.
Filling gaps amid staffing challenges
While teacher shortages continue across Quebec, Education Minister Bernard Drainville said the province is making progress.
“As of today, 98 per cent of teaching positions are filled,” Drainville told reporters. “We’ve gone from 4,100 unfilled positions to 2,700 last week and 1,500 this week.”
“We won’t hit 100 per cent,” he added. “There are always maternity leaves, sick leaves, people moving. But we’re getting closer, and that means more students will begin the year with a dedicated teacher in place.”
The CSSDM alone hired more than 3,400 people last school year, including 1,450 teachers. Recruitment efforts are ongoing in areas still facing shortages.
A total of 4,854 positions remain vacant in Quebec’s public schools, representing 3.5 per cent of all positions, which is an improvement compared to the same date last year. This includes vacancies among teachers, support staff like special education teachers and daycare educators, and professionals like speech therapists and remedial teachers.
Community perspectives on change
Maxim Pelletier, who dropped off two children on Wednesday morning, said he’s optimistic about the school year and supportive of the new rules.
“I think that not having any screens in primary school is a great thing,” he said. “I think that school time, when they’re inside a class and at the desk, they need a lot of concentration. And it’s really hard for a young kid. So I do think that banning it for younger students is quite a good thing for them, helping them to be more productive, to listen a little bit more to their teachers. So I think that this could be a nice thing.”
He also supported the shift to formal speech in the classroom.
“I was brought up in the total different direction. When I was a young kid, they tried to make us sing a little bit more because they wanted to get closer to the students. But I don’t think that it is a bad thing to interact with someone when you’re quite young that is on an authority position by using ‘vous’ because when you’re going to grow as an adult, you’re going to do the same thing in the workplace. And it’s just a way to tell someone that you respect them. So it’s not like… I don’t think it is a big deal, but I do think that it can be helpful and it can be a great thing.”
Wacim El Bahri, whose nine-year-old daughter was returning for her second year at the school, said she was a little nervous but excited.
“She was stressed about finding her friends in class and meeting her new teacher — normal first-day feelings,” he said.
Students share their excitement
Some of the youngest students had their own thoughts about heading back to school:
“Today is the first day of school,” one child said. “There are a lot of people, and I can’t wait.”
“I’m going to school,” said another with a smile.
Budget and building upgrades
Despite ongoing budget pressures, the CSSDM says all services that directly support students will continue — including funding for school meal programs, specialized classes, and financial aid for schools.
The service centre is preparing to present its 10th consecutive balanced budget — valued at $1.65 billion — at its next board meeting.
Over the summer, 80 construction projects were underway to improve school facilities. In total, $168 million was invested in infrastructure last year to ensure safe and healthy learning environments. While fewer projects are planned this year, CSSDM says it remains committed to ongoing upgrades.
Quick facts: 2025–2026 school year:
- 116,000 students expected, including more than 79,000 in preschool, elementary and high school
- 4,500 newcomer students learning French, including 700 enrolled this summer
- $16.4 million allocated for food support programs
- 185 schools and 20,500+ staff across the CSSDM
- $1.65 billion balanced budget
