Durham District School Board

What Durham District School Board does

Durham District School Board (DDSB) is a publicly-funded school board and Crown entity under the Ontario Ministry of Education, operating under the Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2. It serves approximately 75,000 students from Kindergarten through Grade 12 across the six municipalities of Durham Region in Ontario, Canada — Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Uxbridge, and Brock. Headquartered at 400 Taunton Road East in Whitby, DDSB employs 10,000+ staff and operates a network of elementary and secondary schools with multiple calendar configurations to accommodate diverse family needs. Its core service is free public education, supplemented by continuing education (Durham Continuing Education), student transportation (Durham Student Transportation Services), and enrichment programs.

DDSB's product portfolio includes core educational services delivered through schools, plus digital platforms such as the Parent Portal for family engagement, the DDSB Educator Campus as a unified staff hub, and the Professional Learning Hub (powered by Desire2Learn Brightspace). It also operates specialized programs including French Immersion, Specialist High Skills Major, Durham Immersive Arts Camp, Durham Hairstylist Academy, eLearning and Blended Learning Programs, Mathify homework tutoring, and the '30 Credits My Way' flexible graduation pathway. The technology stack spans Microsoft Office 365, Azure AD, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, PowerSchool for professional development tracking, and ServiceNow for IT service management.

As a public institution, DDSB does not operate a commercial revenue model. Its funding flows from the Ontario Ministry of Education through the Grants for Student Needs (GSN) funding formula, supplemented by municipal property tax contributions. Educational services are provided free of charge to residents. Customer segments include elementary students (K-8), secondary students (9-12), families and parents, adult learners, and international students. Key partners include Ignite Durham Learning Foundation (charitable arm), Durham Student Transportation Services, Durham Continuing Education, 211 Durham (mental health referrals), Lake Ontario Secondary School Athletics, and Durham Elementary Athletic Association.

Name

Durham District School Board

Legal name

Durham District School Board

Website

https://ddsb.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1841

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Durham District School Board is a publicly-funded Ontario school board serving approximately 75,000 K-12 students across six Durham Region municipalities. Operating under the Education Act, it delivers free public education funded by provincial grants, supplemented by continuing education and transportation partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD), Elected School Boards & Governance Councils (EDADABAE)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Student transportation services
• Continuing education programs
• Early years programming
• Secondary school programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Whitby

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Durham District School Board is a publicly funded K-12 school board that delivers free public education from Kindergarten through Grade 12 to approximately 75,000 students across six municipalities in Durham Region, Ontario. It operates elementary and secondary schools, provides student transportation, continuing education, special education, French Immersion, and Indigenous education programs, and supports students through digital learning platforms and inclusive student services.

Product overview

Durham District School Board operates as a public education provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and administrative services. The core service offering includes the Parent Portal for family engagement, Student Registration for enrollment, and DDSB Educator Campus as a unified hub for staff. The Library Learning Commons provides digital and physical learning resources, while Durham Student Transportation Services manages bus services across the region. Continuing education is delivered through Durham Continuing Education, including summer school and adult learning. Student programs include Getting Ready for High School, 30 Credits My Way (flexible graduation pathways), Mathify homework help, French Immersion, eLearning and Blended Learning, Specialist High Skills Major, and the Durham Hairstylist Academy. Enrichment programs include the Durham Immersive Arts Camp (DIAC), Durham Elementary Athletic Association (DEAA), and Durham Forest Summer Day Camp. Professional development is delivered through the Professional Learning Hub. These services collectively serve approximately 75,000 students across elementary and secondary schools in the Durham Region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ignite Durham Learning Foundation: The board's education foundation supporting student achievement and well-being initiatives
• Durham Continuing Education
• Durham Student Transportation Services

Products and services

• Parent Portal

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ignite Durham Learning FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ignite Durham Learning Foundation is a charitable organization that supports DDSB students through various educational initiatives and funding opportunities. The foundation works in partnership with the school board to enhance learning experiences and provide scholarships and bursaries to students.
• Durham Student Transportation Services (DSTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDSTS provides student transportation services for DDSB students across multiple weather zones (Zone 1: Brock, Zone 2: Uxbridge, Zone 3: Scugog, Zone 4: Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa). They manage bus cancellations during inclement weather and coordinate transportation logistics.
• Durham Continuing Education (DCE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCE partners with DDSB to provide summer school programs, the Getting Ready for High School (GR4HS) program, adult continuing education, night school, and credit recovery options for students.
• 211 DurhamsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner211 Durham is referenced as a mental health and crisis support resource available to DDSB families, connecting them with community services and supports.
• Lake Ontario Secondary School Athletics (LOSSA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLOSSA is a consortium providing athletic programs and competitions for secondary school students in the Durham Region.
• Durham Elementary Athletic Association (DEAA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDEAA organizes elementary-level athletic programs including basketball, cross country, curling, folk dance, invitational sports, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thames Valley District School Board: Large Ontario public school board with comparable program portfolio, eLearning offerings, and continuing education structure. Operates under the same Education Act regulatory regime as DDSB.
• Peel District School Board: Large Ontario public school board serving Peel Region under the same provincial legislative framework as DDSB. Comparable in size, urban-suburban mix, equity and inclusion programs, and operational scale.
• Ottawa-Carleton District School Board: Ontario public school board governed by the same Education Act. Comparable to DDSB in regulatory framework, French Immersion offerings, special education services, and adult/continuing education programming.
• Toronto Catholic District School Board: Sister publicly funded English-language Catholic school board serving Toronto under the same provincial framework. Comparable to DDSB in scale, regulatory environment, and program breadth, differing only in faith-based mandate.
• Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board: Ontario public school board with similar K-12 mandate, equity and inclusion frameworks, and SHSM/co-op programs. Operates under the same provincial funding and governance regime as DDSB.
• Toronto District School Board: Largest English-language public school board in Canada, also operating under the Ontario Education Act. Directly comparable to DDSB in mandate (public K-12), funding model (provincial + municipal), regulatory framework, and program structure (French Immersion, SHSM, special education).
• Halton District School Board: Ontario public school board operating under the Education Act, serving Halton Region municipalities. Directly comparable to DDSB in K-12 public mandate, transportation partnerships, continuing education, and digital infrastructure modernization.
• Conseil scolaire Viamonde: French-language public school board in Ontario. Comparable to DDSB in regulatory framework, equity policies, and transportation/continuing education partnerships, but differentiated by French-first language mandate.
• York Region District School Board: Neighbouring Ontario public school board serving the York Region, also governed by the Education Act. Highly comparable to DDSB in scale, suburban growth profile, programming mix, and continuing education structure.

Regional players

• Near North District School Board: Ontario public school board operating under the same Education Act, but serving more rural and northern communities. Less directly competitive with DDSB due to geography, but comparable in mandate, funding model, and core program structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCy5d14JizFnDA-veXM0iB0w
• Facebookfacebook.com/DurhamDistrictSchoolBoard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/durham-district-school-board
• Instagraminstagram.com/DDSBSchools
• Xx.com/DDSBSchools

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Durham District School Board