← All signs
Warning signs
School area
What it means
This five-sided fluorescent yellow-green sign warns that you are entering a school area. Slow down and watch for children.
Yellow diamonds (and five-sided yellow-green school signs) warn of hazards ahead.
Summarised from the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook. Read the original: MTO Driver’s Handbook – Signs ↗
How to recognise it
A five-sided sign, pointed at the top like a schoolhouse, in fluorescent yellow-green with black figures of children walking.
Where you will see it
The approaches to elementary and secondary schools, before the school grounds come into view.
What to do when you see it
- 1.Slow down and drive with extra caution; watch for children on both sides of the road.
- 2.Expect children to step out suddenly, to cross away from the crosswalk, and to ignore traffic.
- 3.Look for a speed panel: a lower limit may apply during school hours or when the lights flash.
On the G1 test
Shape and colour are the test: five-sided and fluorescent yellow-green means school. The sign itself sets no speed; a MAXIMUM panel under it does, and only when flashing or during posted hours.
Do not confuse it with
School crossingSchool crossing marks the exact place children cross and often has a guard; the zone sign warns of the whole area.
School zone speed limit (when flashing)That is the school sign with a MAXIMUM panel attached: a regulatory limit, in force when flashing.
Community safety zoneA community safety zone is a white regulatory sign about increased fines, not a warning about children.
Practice questions for this sign