Degrassi: Next Class is a Canadian teen drama television series primarily created by Linda Schuyler. The fifth entry in the Degrassi franchise created by Schuyler and Kit Hood, it is a direct continuation of the fourth series Degrassi: The Next Generation. It was released on Netflix internationally in January 2016.
The following is a list of characters who have appeared in the series.
Appearances Main cast Recurring guest star (3+ episodes) Guest star (1–2 episodes) Actor Character Seasons 1 2 3 4 Main cast Amanda Arcuri Lola Pacini colspan="4" Amir Bageria Baaz Nahir colspan="4" Jamie Bloch Yael Baron colspan="4" Stefan Brogren Principal Archie "Snake" Simpson colspan="4" Soma Bhatia Goldi Nahir colspan="4" Chelsea Clark Esme Song colspan="4" Reiya Downs Shaylynn "Shay" Powers colspan="4" Ana Golja Zoë Rivas colspan="4" Nikki Gould Grace Cardinal colspan="4" Ricardo Hoyos Zigmund "Zig" Novak colspan="4" Ehren Kassam Jonah Haak colspan="4" André Dae Kim Winston "Chewy" Chu colspan="4" Lyle Lettau Tristan Milligan colspan="4" Spencer MacPherson Hunter Hollingsworth colspan="4" Eric Osborne Miles Hollingsworth III colspan="4" Dante Scott Vijay Maraj colspan="4" Olivia Scriven Maya Matlin colspan="4" Sara Waisglass Francesca "Frankie" Hollingsworth colspan="4" Richard Walters Deon "Tiny" Bell colspan="4" Parham Rownaghi Saad Al'Maliki colspan="2" colspan="2" Dalia Yegavian Rasha Zuabi colspan="2" colspan="2" Returning from Degrassi: The Next Generation Miriam McDonald Emma Nelson colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Sarah Barrable-Tishauer Liberty Van Zandt colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Shane Kippel Gavin "Spinner" Mason colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Lauren Collins Paige Michalchuk colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Jake Epstein Craig Manning colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="1" Adamo Ruggiero Marco Del Rossi colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Jamie Johnston Peter Stone colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Charlotte Arnold Holly J. Sinclair colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Raymond Ablack Sav Bhandari colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Jacob Neayem Mo Mashkour colspan="1" colspan="1" colspan="2" Chloe Rose Katie Matlin colspan="2" colspan="2"
Main characters The following actors have all received star billing and are listed as "starring" after the opening theme song of Degrassi: Next Class. A regular is an actor who is credited as "starring" after the opening theme song of the show in any given season. Actors are only credited for the episodes for which they appear in. A recurring status is given to actors who are not listed as "starring", but appear in two or more episodes of any particular season. A guest appearance by an actor means they are not credited as "starring", but were a guest star in one episode of the season.
Students
Character name Portrayed by Seasons featured Baaz Nahir Amir Bageria 1–4 (regular) Grade 12 (Senior) The younger brother of Goldi, Baaz is a 12th grader who is always looking for new business ventures. He is friends with Hunter, Vijay, and Yael, and together, with Lola, they run a YouTube Channel called All Inclusive, which was made after their gaming club was shut down. Baaz is smart, calculating, and methodical, and his logic often gets in the way of emotional connections. Baaz has appeared in 24 episodes. Esme Song Chelsea Clark 1–4 (regular) Grade 12 (Senior - REPEAT) Esme is a senior repeating her final year after skipping school for a month. She previously dated Miles, and then dated Zig. She is seen as attention seeking and lives in the moment. She is seen as willing to manipulate a situation or a person in order to get what she wants. However, these antics are rooted in a need for attention, which causes her to lash out. In the season 4 finale, Esme finally accepts that she needs help. Was supposed to graduate in season 4 with the Class of 2016 but was held back due to her skipping school for a month. Esme has appeared in 28 episodes. Francesca "Frankie" Hollingsworth Sara Waisglass 1–4 (regular) Grade 12 (Senior) Frankie is the younger sister of Miles, and the twin to Hunter. She is seen trying to be the perfect daughter, and is seen as grounded and intelligent. She dated Jonah Haak, but they broke up when he stopped trusting her. She then dated both Zig and Esme, but the relationship quickly ended when Zig started to realize the extent of Esme's behaviour. Frankie is seen as trying to be the perfect daughter and suffers from being misunderstood. Has appeared since the 13th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Frankie has appeared in 37 episodes.Goldi Nahir Soma Bhatia 1–4 (regular) Graduate (Class of 2016) An activist and feminist who runs for class president, and though she doesn't win, becomes vice president for her junior and senior years. She is passionate, but sometimes comes off as standoffish to other people. She is attacked in season 3 when she has her hijab removed and struggles with whether or not to wear her hijab, and her Muslim faith. She later begins dating Winston Chu. Goldi has appeared in 27 episodes including credit only appearances.Grace Cardinal Nikki Gould 1–4 (regular) Graduate (Class of 2016) Grace is a blunt and unapologetic about her opinions, but caring and compassionate when it comes to her friends. In season 1, Grace reveals to Zoe that she has cystic fibrosis, and finally tells her friends in season 2 after passing out. She is best friends with Zoe, despite having a falling out after Zoe kisses Zig, her crush, at the end of season 1. In her senior year, Grace, along with Jonah, put together a play as their way of dealing with the bus crash. Grace and Jonah later end up dating. Has appeared since the 13th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Grace has appeared in 39 episodes.Hunter Hollingsworth Spencer MacPherson 1–4 (regular) Grade 12 (Senior) The younger brother of Miles, and twin to Frankie, Hunter is a computer gamer, and comic book lover. In season one, Hunter, along with his friend, trolls and cyberbullies Maya. He later brings a gun to the school dance, but is stopped by Miles before doing anything. He is later diagnosed with anger problems and depression. He is seen dating Yael, but they break up after he is unaccepting following their coming out as genderqueer. Has appeared since the 13th season of the first incarnation. Hunter has appeared in 29 episodes.Jonah Haak Ehren Kassam 1–4 (regular) Graduate (Class of 2016) Jonah used to be a troublemaker, but saw the light. He dated Frankie, but due to trust issues, they ended up breaking up. He and Grace grow close after working on a play together as their way of dealing with the bus crash. Has appeared since the 14th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Jonah has appeared in 35 episodes. Lola Pacini Amanda Arcuri 1–4 (regular) Grade 12 (Senior) Lola is an excitable and boy-crazy girl with a vibrant personality. She dates Tiny, which causes a rift in her friendship with Shay, who also had feelings for Tiny. Following this, she dates Miles when Tristan is in a coma. She has an abortion in season three following an affair with Miles, though he does not find out about it until after she has it. She becomes friends with Yael, and helps them when they become confused about their gender identity. She later befriends Saad, a student from Syria. She is seen as best friends with Frankie and Shay. Has appeared since the 14th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Lola has appeared in 36 episodes. Maya Matlin Olivia Scriven 1–4 (regular) Graduate (Class of 2016) Maya is seen as a musician with a passion for writing songs. She has an on-off relationship with Zig. They date in season one, but break up after ZIg cheats on her with Zoe. She has a co-op in season two and is one of the students in the bus crash. Following the crash, Maya becomes depressed and attempts to kill herself but survives when she is found by Zig and Esme. In season four, Maya is dealing with the aftermath of her depression and struggles with writing music. She is seen as best friends with Grace and Tristan. Has appeared since the 11th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Maya has appeared in 33 episodes. Miles Hollingsworth III Eric Osborne 1–4 (regular) Graduate (Class of 2016) In season one, Miles deals with the aftermath of his father's abuse. It is discovered that he suffers from anxiety and depression, and he briefly dates Esme but they break up after she gets him addicted to drugs. Miles identifies as bisexual, though it takes him a while for him to label himself. He dates Tristan Milligan, but Tristan breaks up with him because he doesn't want to hold him back. Miles hooks up with Lola following the bus crash putting Tristan in a coma and is seen by his side, supporting him in season four after he wakes up. Has appeared since the 13th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Miles has appeared in 35 episodes. Rasha Zuabi Dalia Yegavian 3–4 (regular) Grade 12 (Senior) Rasha came to Degrassi from Syria and is currently living with Goldi and her family. She, like Goldi, is Muslim, but chooses not to wear her hijab to school. She eventually dates Zoë Rivas, and they attend prom together, where they win prom queens. Rasha has appeared in 16 episodes. Saad Al'Maliki Parham Rownaghi 3–4 (regular) Grade 12 (Senior) Saad, like Rasha, is a student from Syria, but unlike her, is unhappy in Canada. He becomes friends with Maya, but is shunned by everyone following her suicide attempt. He is befriended by Lola, who treats him with kindness. He is seen as suffering from home sickness, though he sister does not. Saad has appeared in 12 episodes. Shaylynn "Shay" Powers Reiya Downs 1–4 (regular) Grade 12 (Senior) Shay is an athlete and straight-A student who tries to be the best student, athlete and daughter. She has conflict with Lola in season one when Lola starts dating Tiny, despite her knowing that Shay liked him. After they break up, she and Tiny start dating. Shay deals with the upcoming pressures of applying for college while also pressure to have sex with her boyfriend, Tiny. Has appeared since the 14th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Shay has appeared in 30 episodes.Deon "Tiny" Bell Richard Walters 1–4 (regular) Graduate (Class of 2016) Tiny has big dreams for himself, but he also had big troubles in the past. Turning his life around after being in a gang with Zig, he is smart and has huge standards for himself. In Degrassi: The Next Generation, it was revealed that he is the younger brother of drug dealer and gang member Vincent who previously shot Adam at prom. Has appeared since the 13th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Tiny has appeared in 33 episodes. Tristan Milligan Lyle Lettau 1–4 (regular) Graduate (Class of 2016) Tristan is out, proud, and not afraid to be himself. He is the student council president in his junior year, and has a rift with his ex-boyfriend, Miles. He helps Zoë when she struggles with her sexuality. After him and Miles get back together, he is one of the students on the bus crash, and spends most of season three in a coma. Upon awakening, he is seen in therapy and occasionally at school. He and Miles break up because he didn't want to hold Miles back from doing what he wanted. Has appeared since the 11th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Tristan has appeared in 31 episodes. Vijay Maraj Dante Scott 1–4 (regular) Grade 12 (Senior) Vijay is a hopeless romantic with a flair for the dramatic. He believes in happy endings, and spends his time vlogging and sharing his covers on YouTube. He's an idealist who's honest, emotional, and who always follows his heart, even though it usually leads him towards heartbreak. Vijay has appeared in 25 episodes. Winston "Chewy" Chu André Dae Kim 1–4 (regular) Graduate (Class of 2016)