Photo: Ken Walker · CC BY-SA 3.0Mixed results around Courtenay: 5 high and 6 low of 17 schools in British Columbia
Top of the area on results: Ecole Robb Road and Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Academy. Schooling in French is on offer at one of the 20; in British Columbia, 2% of schools teach in it. Its 3 km reach takes in 14 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools and 3 alternative or adult schools, all of Courtenay’s schooling.
What stands out about Courtenay’s schools
The strongest results
The area’s best results are at Ecole Robb Road (elementary), in the top fifth in British Columbia. Results ↓
Each finding compares the town’s schools with every school in its province.
How Courtenay’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) | 13 | 457 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 13 | 462 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 11 | 482 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 11 | 452 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 5 | 94% | 91% |
On first-time graduation the area runs ahead, 94% against 91% in British Columbia. On 2 of 5 measures the area beats the provincial middle; on 0 it trails.
Every school’s results (17)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Ecole Robb RoadElementary | G4 literacy 523 · G4 numeracy 518 · G7 literacy 517 · G7 numeracy 555 | Top fifth |
| Phil & Jennie Gaglardi AcademyElementary | G4 literacy 495 · G4 numeracy 512 · G7 literacy 531 · G7 numeracy 516 · Graduation 100% | Top fifth |
| Brooklyn ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 482 · G4 numeracy 497 · G7 literacy 502 · G7 numeracy 475 | Second fifth |
| Ecole Secondaire Mark R Isfeld SecondarySecondary | G7 literacy masked · G7 numeracy masked · Graduation 94% | Second fifth |
| Highland SecondarySecondary | Graduation 94% | Second fifth |
| Royston ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 499 · G4 numeracy 471 | Middle fifth |
| Airport ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 448 · G4 numeracy 466 · G7 literacy 485 · G7 numeracy 452 | Middle fifth |
| Ecole Puntledge Park ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 422 · G4 numeracy 462 · G7 literacy 484 · G7 numeracy 487 | Middle fifth |
| Georges P. Vanier SecondarySecondary | Graduation 92% | Middle fifth |
| Valley View ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 465 · G4 numeracy 453 · G7 literacy 482 · G7 numeracy 450 | Middle fifth |
| École Au coeur de l'îleElementary | G4 literacy 496 · G4 numeracy 481 · G7 literacy 427 · G7 numeracy 398 · Graduation 100% | Middle fifth |
| Aspen Park ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 424 · G4 numeracy 422 · G7 literacy 463 · G7 numeracy 492 | Fourth fifth |
| Lake Trail CommunityElementary | G7 literacy 432 · G7 numeracy 418 | Fourth fifth |
| Queneesh ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 449 · G4 numeracy 407 · G7 literacy 476 · G7 numeracy 435 | Fourth fifth |
| Huband Park ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 457 · G4 numeracy 417 · G7 literacy 437 · G7 numeracy 436 | Fourth fifth |
| Arden ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 430 · G4 numeracy 422 | Bottom fifth |
| Courtenay ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 423 · G4 numeracy 402 | 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 20 schools in and around Courtenay are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
1 more have no point in the source and are listed below the map.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Courtenay
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: École Au coeur de l'île.
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 Courtenay’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
System by system: English public 18, French-language 1 and independent 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
The 2 boards that run schools here
The boards and their schools here.
Among 2 boards, SD 71 Comox Valley leads with 18.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| SD 71 Comox ValleyAirport, Arden, Aspen Park, Brooklyn, Courtenay, Ecole Puntledge Park, Ecole Robb Road, Ecole Secondaire Mark R Isfeld Secondary … | English public | 18 |
| SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophoneAu coeur de l'île | French public | 1 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Courtenay
The neighbourhood school
Children go to the board’s designated school for their address, unless another school agrees to take them.
French-language schools
French-language schools are for children of section 23 rights-holders first; the board may admit others case by case.
Independent schools
An independent school decides whom it takes and what it charges; provincial grants cover part of the cost.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 20 schools in and around Courtenay
High schools within reach of Courtenay
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 4: 4 English public. Ecole Secondaire Mark R Isfeld Secondary is closest, at 1.9 km.
| School | Board | System | Band | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecole Secondaire Mark R Isfeld SecondarySecondary | SD 71 Comox Valley | English public | Second fifth | 1.9 km |
| Georges P. Vanier SecondarySecondary | SD 71 Comox Valley | English public | Middle fifth | 2.1 km |
| Highland SecondarySecondary | SD 71 Comox Valley | English public | Second fifth | 4.8 km |
| Cumberland Community SchoolAll grades | SD 71 Comox Valley | English public | Fourth fifth | 9 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Alternative, adult and other schools around Courtenay
Beyond the ordinary schools: alternative programs at Glacier View Secondary Centre and Nala'atsi Alternate Program; adult and continuing education at Sandwick Continuing Education. Their cards ↑
The kinds as the provincial lists give them (alternative, adult and continuing education, online, provincial schools).
Towns its size in British Columbia
Places of about the same size and their schools in or within 3 km, largest first.
| Town | Population | Schools | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton | 51,222 | 94 | 1 | 0.5 km |
| … | ||||
| Langley | 35,444 | 35 | 0 | 2.6 km |
| Edmonds | 34,805 | 55 | 0 | 1 km |
| North Cowichan | 34,525 | 22 | 1 | 2.8 km |
| Fairview | 33,969 | 68 | 2 | 0.5 km |
| Courtenay | 32,869 | 20 | 1 | 1.8 km |
| Killarney | 32,167 | 56 | 1 | 1 km |
| Victoria-Fraserview | 31,095 | 66 | 2 | 0.2 km |
| Johnston Heights | 30,971 | 69 | 0 | 2.3 km |
| West End | 30,785 | 42 | 0 | 1.1 km |
| … | ||||
| Salmon Arm | 20,891 | 14 | 0 | 0.6 km |
More schools are within reach in 36 of the 42 other towns. A school in French is nearby in 27 towns of 43.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Courtenay
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtenay | 20 | 1 | 1 | 1.8 km |
| Comox 4.4 km | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0.9 km |
| Electoral Area B (Lazo North), Comox Valley 5.5 km | 21 | 1 | 1 | 3.7 km |
| Cumberland 8.8 km | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Electoral Area C (Puntledge - Black Creek), Comox Valley 12 km | 15 | 0 | 0 | 9.6 km |
| Electoral Area A, Comox Valley 15 km | 11 | 0 | 1 | 12 km |
Among the neighbours, Electoral Area B (Lazo North), Comox Valley has 21, the most.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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.
- What isn’t here. Inspection reports with ratings don’t exist here, and the lists give enrolment for one year at most.
- Boards and systems. The French-language board covers the whole province, the English districts one area each.
- The year. The province’s 2025/26 list.
- The kinds of school. Schools are grouped by what they teach: elementary, secondary, every grade, and the alternative, adult and online programs.
- Which schools count. Each school is placed by its address point; those inside Courtenay or within 3 km of it are here.
Questions about schools in Courtenay
How many schools are there in Courtenay?
11 are inside the town itself and 9 lie within 3 km of its edge.
Is there a French-language school in Courtenay?
Yes, schooling in French is at École Au coeur de l'île.
Which boards run the schools in Courtenay?
SD 71 Comox Valley (18) and SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone (1), with each one’s schools in brackets.
How do I get a place at a school in Courtenay?
The board’s school locator gives the designated school; registration is with the board or the school.
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).