Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainMost of the schools around Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay score above the middle in British Columbia: 8 of 14
They include St Joseph School, Chek-Abc and Nelson Waldorf School. Schooling in French is on offer at 2 of 18; in British Columbia, 2% of schools teach in it. The 3 km around Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay counts 8 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools, 5 schools for every grade and 3 alternative or adult schools.
What stands out about Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay’s schools
The strongest results
St Joseph School (all grades) posts the area’s strongest results: the top fifth in British Columbia. Results ↓
The comparisons are with the province’s schools, never across provinces.
How Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay’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 A+: 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) | 10 | 483 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 10 | 500 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 7 | 490 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 7 | 508 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 3 | 95% | 91% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is Grade 7 numeracy: 508 here, against 454 in British Columbia. 5 measures above the provincial middle, 0 below, out of 5.
Every school’s results (14)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| St Joseph SchoolAll grades | G4 literacy 535 · G4 numeracy 552 · G7 literacy 535 · G7 numeracy 557 | Top fifth |
| Chek-AbcAlternative or adult | G4 literacy 575 · G4 numeracy 603 · G7 literacy 499 · G7 numeracy 520 · Graduation masked | Top fifth |
| Nelson Waldorf SchoolAll grades | G4 literacy 523 · G4 numeracy 537 · G7 literacy 563 · G7 numeracy 508 | Top fifth |
| Blewett Elementary SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 507 · G4 numeracy 501 | Second fifth |
| Hume Elementary SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 480 · G4 numeracy 517 | Second fifth |
| Redfish Elementary SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 485 · G4 numeracy 498 · G7 literacy 490 · G7 numeracy 536 | Second fifth |
| L V Rogers SecondarySecondary | Graduation 95% | Second fifth |
| Mount Sentinel SecondaryElementary | G7 literacy 467 · G7 numeracy 452 · Graduation 98% | Second fifth |
| Brent Kennedy ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 474 · G4 numeracy 496 | Middle fifth |
| Rosemont Elementary SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 473 · G4 numeracy 488 | Middle fifth |
| South Nelson ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 461 · G4 numeracy 490 | Middle fifth |
| Secondaire de NelsonSecondary | Graduation 92% | Middle fifth |
| Trafalgar Middle SchoolElementary | G7 literacy 482 · G7 numeracy 431 | Middle fifth |
| WildflowerAll grades | G4 literacy 423 · G4 numeracy 458 · G7 literacy 319 · G7 numeracy 310 | 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 18 schools in and around Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay are
Each pin is a school, coloured by the system that runs it, sized by its students where the province publishes them.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay
English, French and other languages of instruction, beside the mix in British Columbia.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in British Columbia.
SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone runs the French-language ones: Secondaire de Nelson and des Sentiers-alpins.
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 Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
By the system they belong to: English public 12, French-language 2 and independent 4.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
The 2 boards that run schools here
Each board’s schools in the area, largest first.
Among 2 boards, SD 8 Kootenay Lake leads with 12.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| SD 8 Kootenay LakeBlewett, Brent Kennedy, Elev8 D.E.S.K., Hume, L V Rogers Secondary, Mount Sentinel Secondary, Reach, Redfish … | English public | 12 |
| SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophoneSecondaire de Nelson, des Sentiers-alpins | French public | 2 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay
The neighbourhood school
Children go to the board’s designated school for their address, unless another school agrees to take them.
Independent schools
Independent schools set their own admissions and fees; the province funds part of their costs where they meet its conditions.
French-language schools
The French boards take rights-holders’ children by right and others by committee.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 18 schools in and around Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay
High schools within reach of Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay
Secondary and all-grade schools within 15 km, by distance.
7 secondary schools are within 15 km: 3 independent, 2 English public and 2 French public. Closest of all: St Joseph School (3.1 km).
| School | Board | System | Band | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Joseph SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | Top fifth | 3.1 km |
| WildflowerAll grades | SD 8 Kootenay Lake | English public | Bottom fifth | 3.2 km |
| L V Rogers SecondarySecondary | SD 8 Kootenay Lake | English public | Second fifth | 3.5 km |
| Secondaire de NelsonSecondary | SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone | French public | Middle fifth | 3.5 km |
| Nelson Christian Community SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | – | 4 km |
| Nelson Waldorf SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | Top fifth | 7.7 km |
| des Sentiers-alpinsAll grades | SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone | French public | – | 12 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Alternative, adult and other schools around Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay
The area also has online learning through Chek-Abc and Elev8 D.E.S.K.; alternative programs at Reach. Their cards ↑
The kinds as the provincial lists give them (alternative, adult and continuing education, online, provincial schools).
Towns its size in British Columbia
Towns of a similar population, with their schools in or within 3 km; described, not ranked.
| Town | Population | Schools | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anniedale | 6,715 | 53 | 0 | 3.7 km |
| … | ||||
| Sparwood | 4,486 | 2 | 0 | 32 km |
| Electoral Area E, Cowichan Valley | 4,482 | 16 | 1 | 2.4 km |
| Golden | 4,433 | 5 | 1 | 0.1 km |
| Rossland | 4,355 | 3 | 1 | 0.1 km |
| Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay | 4,309 | 18 | 2 | 3.1 km |
| Grand Forks | 4,308 | 4 | 0 | 0.6 km |
| Invermere | 4,305 | 6 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Sunrise Estates | 4,292 | 38 | 0 | 2.7 km |
| Electoral Area E, Sunshine Coast | 4,279 | 6 | 0 | 2 km |
| … | ||||
| Tsawwassen | 2,629 | 9 | 1 | 2.6 km |
Among 103 towns its size, 14 have more schools nearby. Schooling in French is on hand in 22 of the 104.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay
For each nearby town, its schools in or within 3 km of its outline, with straight-line distances.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay | 18 | 2 | 4 | 3.1 km |
| Nelson 3.2 km | 17 | 1 | 4 | 0.5 km |
| Electoral Area F, Central Kootenay 7.5 km | 16 | 2 | 4 | 3.5 km |
It has more schools than any of its 2 neighbours.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The year. The province’s 2025/26 list.
- Boards and systems. A school’s board decides its language; the province funds no separate Catholic system.
- Bands, not ranks. The fifths are of schools, not students: a small school counts as much as a large one.
- 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.
- Which schools count. Schools inside Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay and those within 3 km of its outline: a family nearby would weigh them all.
- The kinds of school. Where a province publishes grades, the card gives them; elementary and secondary follow those grades.
Questions about schools in Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay
How do I get a place at a school in Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay?
Start with the board for the system you want; your address sets the school.
Which boards run the schools in Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay?
SD 8 Kootenay Lake (12) and SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone (2), with each one’s schools in brackets.
How many schools are there in Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay?
3 are inside the town itself and 15 lie within 3 km of its edge.
Is there a French-language school in Electoral Area E, Central Kootenay?
Yes, schooling in French is at Secondaire de Nelson and des Sentiers-alpins.
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).