A preliminary, descriptive overview of the students and their progress in the first year of a new French immersion program looks at the 1982-83 grade 8 cohort of 40 students, most of whom had come from the standard core French program in grades 6 and 7, and compares their progress in other subjects with two grade 8 classes in another school. Data used include the students' grade 7 reading comprehension and mathematics problem solving Canadian Test of Basic Skills scores, grade 7 Dominion Test of Learning Capacity IQ score, and the number of hours of prior French instruction. In addition, the immersion students were given French reading and listening tests and all were given a mathematics skills test. Results indicate that the immersion students were, overall, well above average in intelligence and prior academic achievement, but showed considerable variability within the group. As a group, they were progressing well in French language skills and learning in other subject areas. A review of the program's entrance requirements is recommended to assess their appropriateness for the less able students in the demanding program. (MSE)