Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domainOf Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay’s 5 tested schools, 2 sit above the middle in British Columbia and 2 below
Best placed: Winlaw Elementary School and Mount Sentinel Secondary. In or within 3 km of Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay: 5 elementary schools, 1 school for every grade and 2 alternative or adult schools.
How Electoral Area H, 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) | 2 | 489 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 2 | 497 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 3 | 444 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 3 | 411 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 1 | 98% | 91% |
On Grade 7 numeracy the area trails, 411 against 454 in British Columbia. Of 5 measures, 3 sit above the province’s middle and 2 below.
Every school’s results (5)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Winlaw Elementary SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 503 · G4 numeracy 498 | 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 |
| Lucerne Elem-SecondaryElementary | G4 literacy masked · G4 numeracy masked · G7 literacy 437 · G7 numeracy 410 · Graduation masked | Fourth fifth |
| W.E. Graham Community SchoolAll grades | G4 literacy masked · G4 numeracy masked · G7 literacy 444 · G7 numeracy 411 | Fourth 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 8 schools in and around Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay
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.
All teach in the province’s majority language; none 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 Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
Who runs them, in numbers: English public 7 and independent 1.
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.
SD 8 Kootenay Lake runs the most, 5 of them, among 2 boards.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| SD 8 Kootenay LakeBrent Kennedy, Mount Sentinel Secondary, Sequoia Centre, W.E. Graham, Winlaw | English public | 5 |
| SD 10 Arrow LakesArrow Lakes Distributed Learning, Lucerne Elem-Secondary | English public | 2 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay
Independent schools
Independent schools set their own admissions and fees; the province funds part of their costs where they meet its conditions.
The neighbourhood school
A home address sets the designated school in each board’s attendance area. Registration is with the board; a school outside the area admits only where there is space.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 8 schools in and around Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay
Alternative, adult and other schools around Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay
Also within reach: online learning through Arrow Lakes Distributed Learning; alternative programs at Sequoia Centre. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail | 8,539 | 7 | 1 | 0.1 km |
| … | ||||
| Osoyoos | 5,724 | 2 | 0 | 0.9 km |
| Armstrong | 5,643 | 4 | 0 | 1.1 km |
| Smithers | 5,627 | 10 | 1 | 55 km |
| Juan de Fuca (Part 1) | 5,439 | 42 | 2 | 6.4 km |
| Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay | 5,390 | 8 | 0 | 18 km |
| Electoral Area L, Cariboo | 5,358 | 4 | 0 | 13 km |
| Oliver | 5,262 | 7 | 0 | 0.4 km |
| Electoral Area B, Central Kootenay | 5,243 | 8 | 0 | 2.5 km |
| Metchosin | 5,207 | 8 | 0 | 8.6 km |
| … | ||||
| Lake City | 3,240 | 55 | 0 | 2 km |
41 of 99 similar towns count more schools. 23 of 100 have a school teaching in French.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. The area is Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay plus a 3 km margin around it, measured from its census outline.
- The kinds of school. Where a province publishes grades, the card gives them; elementary and secondary follow those grades.
- The year. Listed for 2025/26.
- Boards and systems. Each public school has a board or district, English or French; independent schools stand outside them.
- What isn’t here. No ratings by inspectors, no enrolment trend: neither is published school by school.
- Bands, not ranks. The fifths are of schools, not students: a small school counts as much as a large one.
Questions about schools in Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay
How do I get a place at a school in Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay?
The board’s school locator gives the designated school; registration is with the board or the school.
Which boards run the schools in Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay?
By number of schools: SD 8 Kootenay Lake (5) and SD 10 Arrow Lakes (2).
Is there a French-language school in Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay?
There is none in or near Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay (within 3 km); the French-language board covers the area from elsewhere.
How many schools are there in Electoral Area H, Central Kootenay?
All 8 are inside the town itself.
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).