Photo: D&J Huber from Canada · CC BY 2.04 of Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley’s 4 tested schools score in the lower two fifths in British Columbia
Taken together, Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley and its 3 km edge hold 5 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools.
How Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley’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 C: 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 | 421 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 2 | 407 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 2 | 418 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 2 | 382 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 2 | 87% | 91% |
The widest gap is on Grade 7 numeracy, where the area’s schools reach 382 against 454 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Chemainus SecondaryElementary | G7 literacy 446 · G7 numeracy 423 · Graduation 91% | Fourth fifth |
| Chemainus Elementary Community SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 435 · G4 numeracy 447 | Fourth fifth |
| Ladysmith SecondarySecondary | Graduation 83% | Fourth fifth |
| Ladysmith IntermediateElementary | G4 literacy 408 · G4 numeracy 367 · G7 literacy 390 · G7 numeracy 341 | 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 7 schools in and around Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley
The language each school teaches in, against every school in British Columbia.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in British Columbia.
Schooling in French isn’t on offer here.
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 G, Cowichan Valley’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
Grouped by system: English public 6 and independent 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
2 boards, school by school
Every board or service centre with a school in the area, and its schools.
SD 79 Cowichan Valley counts 3, more than any of the other boards of the 2.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| SD 79 Cowichan ValleyChemainus Elementary, Chemainus Secondary, Thetis Island | English public | 3 |
| SD 68 Nanaimo-LadysmithLadysmith Intermediate, Ladysmith Primary, Ladysmith Secondary | English public | 3 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley
Independent schools
An independent school decides whom it takes and what it charges; provincial grants cover part of the cost.
The neighbourhood school
The neighbourhood school is the one the board designates for the address; choice beyond it depends on space.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 7 schools in and around Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley
High schools within reach of Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley
Secondary and all-grade schools within 15 km, by distance.
2 secondary schools are within 15 km: 1 independent and 1 English public. Closest of all: Stz'uminus Senior Secondary (4.2 km).
| School | Board | System | Band | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stz'uminus Senior SecondarySecondary | – | Independent | – | 4.2 km |
| Ladysmith SecondarySecondary | SD 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith | English public | Fourth fifth | 6.3 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Towns its size in British Columbia
Similar-sized towns and their schools within 3 km, by population.
| Town | Population | Schools | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area B, Cariboo | 4,169 | 11 | 0 | 9.9 km |
| … | ||||
| Electoral Area F, Sunshine Coast | 2,691 | 7 | 0 | 4.1 km |
| Electoral Area A, Central Kootenay | 2,668 | 1 | 0 | 30 km |
| Tumbler Ridge | 2,663 | 2 | 0 | 72 km |
| Tsawwassen | 2,629 | 9 | 1 | 2.6 km |
| Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley | 2,597 | 7 | 0 | 4.2 km |
| Chase | 2,591 | 2 | 0 | 16 km |
| Anmore | 2,508 | 18 | 0 | 2.3 km |
| Clearwater | 2,500 | 3 | 0 | 85 km |
Set against 52 others, 20 have more schools in reach. 12 towns of the 53 have a French-language school.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4.2 km |
| Ladysmith 5.5 km | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.9 km |
| Electoral Area H, Cowichan Valley 9.4 km | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3.9 km |
| North Cowichan 17 km | 22 | 1 | 4 | 2.8 km |
| Electoral Area A, Nanaimo 17 km | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 km |
Of the neighbours, North Cowichan counts the most schools: 22.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. A 3 km band around Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley’s outline is included, as it is for every town on the site.
- The kinds of school. Each school is elementary, secondary or all-grade by the grades it teaches; alternative, adult and online programs sit in a group of their own.
- Bands, not ranks. BC publishes average FSA scores and graduation rates, masking small groups, so the page gives fifths, not ranks.
- What isn’t here. Inspection reports with ratings don’t exist here, and the lists give enrolment for one year at most.
- The year. Schools as listed for 2025/26.
- Boards and systems. The French-language board covers the whole province, the English districts one area each.
Questions about schools in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley
Is there a French-language school in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley?
There is none in or near Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley (within 3 km); the French-language board covers the area from elsewhere.
How many schools are there in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley?
1 are inside the town itself and 6 lie within 3 km of its edge.
How do I get a place at a school in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley?
Register with the board that runs the school: the address decides the designated school in each system, and the board can say which one it is.
Which boards run the schools in Electoral Area G, Cowichan Valley?
SD 79 Cowichan Valley (3) and SD 68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith (3), with each one’s schools in brackets.
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).