Photo: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada · CC BY 2.0Cowichan’s schools mostly sit under the middle in British Columbia, 8 of the 14 with results
The highest results belong to Sunrise Waldorf School and Queen Margaret's. Schooling in French is on offer at one of the 19; in British Columbia, 2% of schools teach in it. The 3 km around Cowichan counts 12 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools, 2 schools for every grade and 3 alternative or adult schools.
What stands out about Cowichan’s schools
The strongest results
Sunrise Waldorf 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 Cowichan’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) | 12 | 461 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 12 | 444 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 12 | 437 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 12 | 434 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 4 | 93% | 91% |
On Grade 7 literacy the area trails, 437 against 467 in British Columbia. On 0 of 5 measures the area beats the provincial middle; on 3 it trails.
Every school’s results (14)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Waldorf SchoolAll grades | G4 literacy 630 · G4 numeracy 615 · G7 literacy 567 · G7 numeracy 540 | Top fifth |
| Queen Margaret'sElementary | G4 literacy 535 · G4 numeracy 547 · G7 literacy 521 · G7 numeracy 497 · Graduation 100% | Top fifth |
| Cowichan Open SchoolSecondary | G7 literacy masked · G7 numeracy masked · Graduation 94% | Second fifth |
| Maple Bay ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 481 · G4 numeracy 514 · G7 literacy 412 · G7 numeracy 522 | Second fifth |
| Duncan Christian SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 464 · G4 numeracy 476 · G7 literacy 506 · G7 numeracy 456 · Graduation 91% | Middle fifth |
| Bench ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 479 · G4 numeracy 462 · G7 literacy 441 · G7 numeracy 447 | Middle fifth |
| Alex AitkenElementary | G4 literacy 458 · G4 numeracy 447 · G7 literacy 435 · G7 numeracy 443 | Fourth fifth |
| Ecole Mount Prevost ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 431 · G4 numeracy 411 · G7 literacy 480 · G7 numeracy 425 | Fourth fifth |
| Drinkwater ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 438 · G4 numeracy 410 · G7 literacy 439 · G7 numeracy 409 | Fourth fifth |
| Queen of Angels SchoolAll grades | G4 literacy 469 · G4 numeracy 435 · G7 literacy 402 · G7 numeracy 368 | Fourth fifth |
| Tansor ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 457 · G4 numeracy 440 · G7 literacy 399 · G7 numeracy 372 | Bottom fifth |
| Alexander ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 371 · G4 numeracy 318 · G7 literacy 366 · G7 numeracy 313 | Bottom fifth |
| Cowichan Valley Open Learning Co-OpAlternative or adult | Graduation 44% | Bottom fifth |
| Khowhemun ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 396 · G4 numeracy 342 · G7 literacy 402 · G7 numeracy 345 | 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 19 schools in and around Cowichan 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 Cowichan
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.
By name, in French: Des Cascades (SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone).
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 Cowichan’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
Split by system, that is English public 13, French-language 1 and independent 5.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
Which of the 2 boards runs which school
Every board or service centre with a school in the area, and its schools.
SD 79 Cowichan Valley has 13 of the area’s schools, the most of the 2 boards.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| SD 79 Cowichan ValleyAdult Learning Centre, Alex Aitken, Alexander, Bench, Cowichan Open, Cowichan Valley Distributed Learning, Cowichan Valley Open Learning Co-Op, Drinkwater … | English public | 13 |
| SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophoneDes Cascades | French public | 1 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Cowichan
French-language schools
The French boards take rights-holders’ children by right and others by committee.
Independent schools
Independent schools here charge fees but receive some provincial funding if they meet its standards.
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 19 schools in and around Cowichan
High schools within reach of Cowichan
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
Within 15 km, families can reach 6 high schools: 3 English public and 3 independent. Closest of all: Quamichan School (2 km).
| School | Board | System | Band | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quamichan SchoolSecondary | SD 79 Cowichan Valley | English public | – | 2 km |
| Queen of Angels SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | Fourth fifth | 2.1 km |
| Cowichan Open SchoolSecondary | SD 79 Cowichan Valley | English public | Second fifth | 2.7 km |
| Sunrise Waldorf SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | Top fifth | 5.9 km |
| Shawnigan LakeSecondary | – | Independent | Top fifth | 13 km |
| Frances Kelsey SecondarySecondary | SD 79 Cowichan Valley | English public | Second fifth | 15 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Alternative, adult and other schools around Cowichan
Other schooling here: adult and continuing education at Adult Learning Centre; online learning through Cowichan Valley Distributed Learning; alternative programs at Cowichan Valley Open Learning Co-Op. Their cards ↑
The kinds as the provincial lists give them (alternative, adult and continuing education, online, provincial schools).
Schools in the towns around Cowichan
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowichan | 19 | 1 | 5 | 2 km |
| Electoral Area E, Cowichan Valley 1.2 km | 16 | 1 | 5 | 2.4 km |
| Duncan 1.5 km | 16 | 1 | 4 | 1.1 km |
| North Cowichan 4.8 km | 22 | 1 | 4 | 2.8 km |
| Cowichan Bay 6.4 km | 16 | 1 | 5 | 2.6 km |
| Cobble Hill 12 km | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 km |
| Shawnigan 13 km | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0.8 km |
Among the neighbours, North Cowichan has 22, the most.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The kinds of school. Elementary means kindergarten to Grade 6 or 8, secondary up to Grade 12 (Secondary V in Quebec); a few schools take every grade.
- Which schools count. Inside Cowichan’s boundary, or no more than 3 km outside it: that is which schools are counted.
- What isn’t here. What no open list gives: inspection grades, several years of enrolment, and Ontario’s private schools.
- Bands, not ranks. A masked or missing result gives no band; a school with several results averages its fifths.
- Boards and systems. English and French boards share the province, each with its own schools; there are no separate Catholic boards here.
- The year. Schools as listed for 2025/26.
Questions about schools in Cowichan
How many schools are there in Cowichan?
1 in the town, 18 just beyond it, within 3 km.
Is there a French-language school in Cowichan?
Yes, schooling in French is at Des Cascades.
Which boards run the schools in Cowichan?
SD 79 Cowichan Valley (13) and SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone (1), with each one’s schools in brackets.
How do I get a place at a school in Cowichan?
Each board registers its own students; its website gives the school for an address.
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).