Welcome to Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School - home of the Nighthawks! We are excited to meet and officially welcome you in the fall.
Starting high school is an important milestone. At Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School, students are welcomed into a caring, inclusive, and academically strong environment where relationships matter and every student is encouraged to grow.
Open House
Check the dates of our open house in the fall.
Missed the open house? Explore our website to learn more about the school and visit Preparing for the Transition to High School on the Board website to learn more about what to expect in Grade 8 and how you can start preparing now. Or, you can view the presentations:
Information for the 2026-2027 school year will be posted as it becomes available.
- Grade 8 Information Night Presentation - November 2025
- Grade 8 to 9 Course Selection Presentation - January 2026
What Can You Expect at Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School?
Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School is a warm, friendly and inclusive community where students are encouraged to excel academically, creatively and personally. The school culture reflects its namesake’s commitment to positive change, storytelling and community connection. We have a school-wide focus on inclusion, kindness and student leadership.
Hear from Grade 9s
When we asked Grade 9’s what they think Grade 8’s should know about high school, they say
Programs For All Pathways
Students benefit from strong academics, diverse range of courses and a variety of programs students can explore, including:
- French Immersion (FI)
- Advanced Placement (AP)
- Specialist High Skills Majors (in Health and Wellness, Arts and Culture, & Business)
- Co-operative Education (Co-Op)
- Dual Credits at Ontario Colleges
- Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
Learn more about our departments and programs.
Vibrant Student Life
With a wide variety of clubs and sports teams and a variety of drama productions, art displays, wellness events, there are so many opportunities to get involved and feel connected to the school.
Learn more about how you can get involved in clubs and athletics.
School Supports
Staff work together at the school to support student achievement and a smooth transition to secondary school, including:
- Administration
- Student Success Teachers
- Guidance Counsellors
- Co-Op Education Teachers
- Special Education Teachers
- Literacy & MLL* Teacher
- Alternative Education Teachers
- Classroom Teachers
Transitions - Grades 8 to 9
Transitioning from elementary to secondary school is a very exciting time for all students. A lot happens during the grade 8 year that will help to make this transition a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Learn more about how you can plan for the transition to secondary school.
Frequently Asked Questions
Current YRDSB Grade 8 Students interested in coming to Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School, who do not live in the school boundary, must request and submit a transfer request.
Please note that for the 2026-2027 school year, Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School will be open for transfer only for regular track programming; it will be closed to transfer for French Immersion programming.
All Grade 8 students currently enrolled in a school in the York Region District School Board, who live in the Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School boundary, or have been approved for transfer to Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School, will receive an email in mid-February. This email will contain all of the instructions and resources required to complete the course selection process. All course selections are completed using myPathwayPlanner. You may access your pathway planner using myPathwayPlanner (myBlueprint) anytime, from any computer, using the My Pathway Planner icon and your GAPPs login and password. You will find all pertinent resources and information listed above on this webpage or alternatively, on our Course Selection Information webpage.
If you are not currently attending a York Region District School Board elementary school (i.e., York Catholic), or if you have already completed at least one year of secondary school regardless of school board, you will need to contact our main office for registration information.
No, you do not. Enrolling in any French Immersion program at your designated French Immersion school is not considered a transfer, and thus, no electronic transfer request form needs to be submitted. Check school boundary information, or use the School Locator feature found on the main YRDSB website. If you do not live in the regular school boundary for Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School, and want to attend for regular programming, a transfer form would be required.
If your child is currently in a Gifted program at a YRDSB school, their myPathwayPlanner (myBlueprint) account, based on your home address, should be mapped to the appropriate high school offering gifted programming. During the annual Identification, Placement and Review Committee Meeting (IPRC), you will have the opportunity to confirm your desire to have your child remain in gifted programming for Grade 9. Please note that Hodan Nalayeh does not offer Gifted programming. You can see what programs each individual secondary school offers in York Region District School Board.
If your child is currently in a Gifted program at a YRDSB school, their myPathwayPlanner (myBlueprint) account, based on your home address, should be mapped to the appropriate high school offering gifted programming. During the annual Identification, Placement and Review Committee Meeting (IPRC), you will have the opportunity to confirm your desire to have your child removed from gifted programming for Grade 9. By doing this, your child will be automatically mapped back in myPathwayPlanner (myBlueprint) to their home secondary school (the YRDSB school your child is designated to attend based on your home address). If you do not live in the Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School boundary, and you would still like your child to attend our school for regular programming [including Advanced Placement (AP) courses in their senior years of secondary school], you must request and submit a transfer request to your elementary school by the deadline date.
Hodan Nalayeh offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses in English, Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computer Science. Please note that Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings begin in Grade 11, but only require to be enrolled in the Grade 12 course to be eligible to write the AP exam. The one exception is that we strongly encourage students who wish to write the Math - Advanced Placement (AP) exam, to start the Advanced Placement (AP) Math program in grade 11. You can see what programs each individual secondary school offers in York Region District School Board.
You will find all of our course offerings and descriptions on our Course Selection Information webpage.
No, you do not need to submit an application. If your child is currently in a French Immersion program at a YRDSB school, their myPathwayPlanner (myBlueprint) account, based on your home address, should be mapped to the appropriate high school offering French Immersion program. Moreover, any current Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School student, in French Immersion or regular programming, can select Advanced Placement (AP) courses in their senior years of secondary school.
Please view the Clubs and Athletics page to discover some of the extra-curricular activities offered at Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School.
Unfortunately, there is no bussing provision to attend Hodan Nalayeh for French Immersion at Hodan Nalayeh Secondary School. There are a few exceptions. Please visit School Bus City for more information.
Yes, you may. In fact, since there are no prerequisites for any Grade 10 "open" course, Grade 9 students are welcome to select them if they so desire.
In most situations, yes. However, there is one exception in our French Immersion program. Students cannot take both the Grade 9 Food and Nutrition (HFN1OF) course and Grade 10 Food and Nutrition (HFN2OF) course as they will only earn 1 credit.