Oakville's new high school will host an Ontario-wide athlete academy, with a domed turf field

What's happening

Oakville's newest high school is going to be more than a neighbourhood school. The Halton District School Board announced in September 2026 that it is opening APEX — the Academy for Athletic Performance Excellence — at the new Oakville secondary school at 4020 Sixth Line, and that the program will be open to eligible secondary student-athletes from across Ontario, not only from Halton. The first Grade 9 and 10 cohort starts in September 2027, and applications open on October 30, 2026.

What the academy is

The board describes APEX as an integrated academic and athletic pathway for competitive student-athletes — in other words, a program that lets serious athletes pursue their sport without stepping away from a full high-school education. Its curriculum emphasis, as the board frames it, is on sport science, performance technology and data analytics, alongside the regular secondary program. It is being positioned as a regional program rather than a single-school club.

Open to Ontario, not just Halton

The detail that sets APEX apart is its reach. Most programs at a Halton public school serve students who live in the board's attendance areas. APEX, by the board's own description, is open to eligible secondary students from across Ontario. That is unusual for a publicly funded school, and it is the part most likely to prompt questions: how students are selected, how many places there are, whether families outside Halton pay or need to relocate, and how a province-wide academy fits alongside the regular neighbourhood school in the same building.

The building

APEX is being built around a school that is itself new. The secondary school at 4020 Sixth Line is scheduled to open in September 2027, starting with Grades 9 and 10 and growing from there. Its athletic infrastructure is well beyond a typical high school's: the board lists three gymnasiums, a fitness and weight room, a practice field and a domed turf field. That domed field, usable year-round, is what makes a serious athletic academy workable on the site.

How to take part

For families who want to learn more before applying, the board has set out a short runway. It held a secondary-school open house on September 26, 2026, and is running an APEX virtual livestream on October 26, 2026, before applications open on October 30, 2026. The first cohort then begins with the school's opening in September 2027.

What we don't know yet

• What we know: the Halton board is opening APEX, an Ontario-wide athlete academy, at the new Oakville secondary school at 4020 Sixth Line, starting September 2027.
• What we know: applications open October 30, 2026, and the school includes three gyms, a weight room, a practice field and a domed turf field.
• What we don't know yet: which sports the academy covers, how many places it offers, and the selection criteria.
• What we don't know yet: whether student-athletes from outside Halton pay fees or need to relocate, and how large the first cohort will be.

What happens next

The near-term milestones are the October 26 livestream, the October 30 application opening, and the school's September 2027 launch. OakvilleIQ will update this story as the board publishes the academy's sports, intake numbers, selection process and any fees or residency requirements.