A. Y. Jackson Secondary School (Toronto)
| A. Y. Jackson Secondary School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
50 Francine Drive , , M2H 2G6 Canada | |
| Coordinates | 43°48′18″N 79°21′58″W / 43.8049°N 79.3662°W |
| Information | |
| School type | High school |
| Founded | November 26th, 1970 |
| School board | Toronto District School Board |
| Superintendent | Peter Chang |
| Area trustee | James Li |
| School number | 890227 |
| Principal | Nicholas Rowe |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrolment | 1,113 (2020) |
| Language | English |
| Schedule type | Semestered |
| Hours in school day | 6.25 |
| Area | 15.32 acres |
| Student Union/Association | Student Activity Council (S.A.C) |
| Colour(s) | Black and orange |
| Mascot | Jaguar |
| Team name | Jackson Jaguars |
| Newspaper | Jackson Times |
| Feeder schools | Highland Middle School, Zion Heights Middle School |
| Website | schoolweb |
| Last updated: April 23, 2025 | |
A. Y. Jackson Secondary School is a secondary school for grades 9 to 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was opened in 1970 by the North York Board of Education, and is now operated by its successor, the Toronto District School Board. The school was named after A. Y. Jackson, a Canadian painter and one of the founders of the Group of Seven.[1]
History
A.Y. Jackson was opened in 1970 under the North York Board of Education, as a grades 10 to 13 school. The school was designed by architecture firm Allward & Gouinlock Architects under Raymond Moriyama for the North York Board of Education. However, as part of the 1998 amalgamation of North York into the City of Toronto, the Toronto District School Board now operates A.Y. Jackson.
The school was originally proposed to be named Eastview Secondary School, however, it was changed to be named as A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, after the former painter and member of the Group of Seven. Following a lengthy construction period and a hefty price tag of $3,700,000, the schools official grand opening was held on the night of Thursday November 26th, 1970. The school was designed to be open concept, like many other schools within this time frame. The school was designed with a blend of Mid-century modern and Brutalist architecture of the exterior, reminiscent of the Ontario Science Centre. The school featured an eye-catching reception hall that was designed to look like a hotel lobby. Rather than using traditional hardwood flooring, the school was built with carpeted floors across many of its hallways and classrooms. It also featured a lounge area at the top of the spiral staircase (which has now been replaced as SHSM office space). The school was also dubbed as "Metro's most modern secondary school" at the time of its opening. Since then, the open concept classrooms have been enclosed off due to issues with the concept.
In 2016, as part of a TDSB board decision, the school underwent more changes, with the school now supporting grade nine students and the Gifted program.[2]
Student life
Academics
The school offers three Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) in the fields of Biotechnology, Business, and Information Communications Technology.[3] It also offers three dual credit courses in Forensic Science, Introduction to Marketing, and Composition & Creativity, in collaboration with Seneca Polytechnic. The school also serves as the giftedness program secondary school for much of east North York, as well as parts of Scarborough.[4] In the 2018–2019 school year, 90% of grade 9 students achieved the provincial standard in academic math and 50% achieved the provincial standard in applied math.[5] In addition, in the 2018–2019 school year, 87% of grade 10 students achieved the provincial standard for Literacy on their first attempt.[6] More recently, in the 2021-2022 school year, A Y Jackson ranked 1st among all TDSB schools on the EQAO math assessment with 93.2% of students achieving the provincial standard.[7]
Sports
Currently, A.Y. Jackson has the following sports teams:[8]
- Aquatics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Curling
- Flag football
- Table tennis
- Soccer
- Ultimate frisbee
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
- Ice hockey
- Slo-Pitch
- Skiing & Snowboarding
Clubs
In the 2021–2022 school year, A.Y. Jackson has 52 different clubs, councils and ensembles, including 5 related to the arts, and 13 related to the STEM fields.[9]
Student demographics
The student population of A.Y Jackson is diverse, with a large component of students living in Canada for five years or less (about 14%), and around 92% of the population speaking a primary language other than English. As of 2020, 14% of the students are enrolled in the gifted program[10] and 25% of students live in lower-income households.[11] There were 263 females and 290 males in the school in 2020, making A.Y. Jackson's total student body 653 as of June 30, 2021.[12]
Notable alumni
- Henry Lau, singer, musician, actor, and ex-member of Super Junior-M[13]
- Alex Lifeson, guitarist for the rock group Rush[14]
- Sorel Mizzi, professional poker player[15]
- Daniel Negreanu, professional poker player[16]
- Merrill Nisker (better known as Peaches), electronica musician[17]
- Monita Rajpal, CNN International news anchor[18]
- Joshua Liendo, Swimmer known for winning 2nd place in the 100m butterfly in the 2024 Paris Olympics
- Gerald Eaton, producer, lead singer of The Philosopher Kings[19]
See also
References
- ^ 2007 Euclid Contest Results
- ^ Curtis, Linda (December 4, 2015). "AY Cluster JHS Board Decision Parent Letter" (PDF). tdsb.on.ca. Toronto District School Board. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "A Y Jackson Secondary School > Special Programs". schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Giftedness Secondary School Finder". www.tdsb.on.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "A Y Jackson Secondary School Profile". Ontario School Information Finder. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "A Y Jackson Secondary School Profile". Ontario school information finder. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "AY Jackson Secondary School". TDSB. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "A Y Jackson Secondary School Information". Lechool. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
- ^ "A.Y. Jackson Clubs and Councils 2020-2021" (PDF). schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca. Toronto DSB. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ "A Y Jackson Secondary School Profile". Ontario School Information Finder. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "A Y Jackson Secondary School Profil". Ontario School Information Finder. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Board, Toronto District School. "Toronto District School Board > Find your... > Schools > Facts and Figures". www.tdsb.on.ca. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- ^ "Henry Lau goes from Willowdale to K-Pop superstar | Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
- ^ "Living in the limelight". cbc.ca. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "Canadian Sorel Mizzi: Living proof that Instinctual Poker Works". tabletcasinos.ca. 2017-01-09. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Back in the Day". Daniel Negreanu. 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Peaches | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ TRNTO, Matthew Coutts for (2010-10-28). "MONITA RAJPAL". TRNTO.com. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Jarvis Church: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 985". torontomike.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.