Photo: Muskwatch · CC BY-SA 4.0No high school in or near Bella Coola 1: the closest is 189 km off
Within 3 km of the town there are 4 elementary schools only. 3 of 4 schools with results score below the middle in British Columbia.
High schools within reach of Bella Coola 1
The high schools a family here could reach, within 15 km.
No secondary school is within 15 km of the town.
How Bella Coola 1’s schools do on BC’s assessments
The Foundation Skills Assessment in Grades 4 and 7 and first-time graduation: each school against every school in BC.
Its School Grade is D−: it compares these results with the other towns of the province.
The area’s schools by fifth of the province
Each school’s band is the average of its measures’ fifths. The mark shows an even fifth of the area’s schools.
| Measure | Schools | Middle here | British Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 4 literacy (FSA score) | 2 | 399 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 2 | 348 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 2 | 348 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 2 | 338 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 2 | 74% | 91% |
The widest gap is on Grade 4 numeracy, where the area’s schools reach 348 against 472 in British Columbia. On 0 of 5 measures the area beats the provincial middle; on 5 it trails.
Every school’s results (4)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Alexander Mackenzie SecondaryElementary | Graduation 91% | Middle fifth |
| Bella Coola ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 474 · G4 numeracy 451 | Fourth fifth |
| Acwsalcta Band SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 325 · G4 numeracy 246 · G7 literacy 280 · G7 numeracy 281 · Graduation 56% | Bottom fifth |
| Nusatsum ElementaryElementary | G7 literacy 416 · G7 numeracy 394 | Bottom fifth |
BC Ministry of Education and Child Care: FSA 2021/22 to 2025/26 (the latest year with a value) and first-time Grade 12 graduation; masked where groups are small; resident students only. Open Government Licence – British Columbia.
Where the 4 schools in and around Bella Coola 1 are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Bella Coola 1
Each school by its language of instruction, with the share in British Columbia marked.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in British Columbia.
None of them teaches in French.
Section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives French-speaking parents the right to French-language schooling for their children, through the French-language boards.
Who runs Bella Coola 1’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
Split by system, that is English public 3 and independent 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Bella Coola 1
Independent schools
Independent schools choose their students and charge fees, with part of their costs paid by the province when they qualify.
The neighbourhood school
Where a family lives settles it: the board’s map ties every address to one school, and a seat anywhere else waits on spare room.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 4 schools in and around Bella Coola 1
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The kinds of school. Elementary and secondary come from the grades each school offers; a school offering both counts as all-grade.
- Which schools count. Inside Bella Coola 1’s boundary, or no more than 3 km outside it: that is which schools are counted.
- Boards and systems. Public schools belong to English and French-language boards (or districts); independent schools run themselves.
- The year. Schools as listed for 2025/26.
- What isn’t here. No province rates its schools by inspection, and enrolment covers one year (Ontario and Alberta only), so there is no trend.
- Bands, not ranks. A band is the fifth of BC’s schools a result falls in, averaged over the school’s measures; masked small groups would make places misleading.
Questions about schools in Bella Coola 1
How do I get a place at a school in Bella Coola 1?
Start with the board for the system you want; your address sets the school.
How many schools are there in Bella Coola 1?
All 4 sit within the town’s own boundary.
Is there a French-language school in Bella Coola 1?
Not in or within 3 km of Bella Coola 1; the French-language board can name the nearest.
Sources: BC Ministry of Education and Child Care, K-12 school list 2025/26 (Open Government Licence – British Columbia) · map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).