Photo: Doug Hay derivative work: MrPanyGoff · CC BY 2.0Results around Duncan lean low: 8 of 11 schools in the lower two fifths in British Columbia
The highest results belong to Queen Margaret's and Cowichan Open School. In French: one of the 16 schools, where in British Columbia the share is 2%. The 3 km around Duncan counts 10 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools, 1 school for every grade and 3 alternative or adult schools.
What stands out about Duncan’s schools
The strongest results
The area’s best results are at Queen Margaret's (elementary), in the top fifth in British Columbia. Results ↓
Each finding compares the town’s schools with every school in its province.
How Duncan’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) | 9 | 457 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 9 | 435 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 9 | 435 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 9 | 409 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 4 | 93% | 91% |
The widest gap is on Grade 7 numeracy, where the area’s schools reach 409 against 454 in British Columbia. Across 5 measures: 0 above the middle, 3 below.
Every school’s results (11)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Duncan Christian SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 464 · G4 numeracy 476 · G7 literacy 506 · G7 numeracy 456 · Graduation 91% | 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 16 schools in and around Duncan are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Duncan
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.
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 Duncan’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 11, French-language 1 and independent 4.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
The 2 boards that run schools here
Every board or service centre with a school in the area, and its schools.
SD 79 Cowichan Valley has 11 of the area’s schools, the most of the 2 boards.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| SD 79 Cowichan ValleyAdult Learning Centre, Alex Aitken, Alexander, Cowichan Open, Cowichan Valley Distributed Learning, Cowichan Valley Open Learning Co-Op, Drinkwater, Ecole Mount Prevost … | English public | 11 |
| SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophoneDes Cascades | French public | 1 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Duncan
French-language schools
Eligibility comes from the parents: French as a first language, or French schooling in Canada; otherwise, the board’s admissions committee decides.
Independent schools
Fees and admissions are each independent school’s own; the province covers a share of costs for those that meet its rules.
The neighbourhood school
Each school serves a defined area. A place elsewhere is possible when that school has room.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 16 schools in and around Duncan
High schools within reach of Duncan
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 5: 3 independent and 2 English public. Closest of all: Quamichan School (1.1 km).
| School | Board | System | Band | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quamichan SchoolSecondary | SD 79 Cowichan Valley | English public | – | 1.1 km |
| Cowichan Open SchoolSecondary | SD 79 Cowichan Valley | English public | Second fifth | 1.2 km |
| Queen of Angels SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | Fourth fifth | 2.4 km |
| Sunrise Waldorf SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | Top fifth | 7.4 km |
| Shawnigan LakeSecondary | – | Independent | Top fifth | 14 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Alternative, adult and other schools around Duncan
Also within reach: 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).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimberley | 9,037 | 8 | 1 | 1.4 km |
| … | ||||
| Mile 108 Recreational Ranch | 5,887 | 5 | 0 | 11 km |
| Spallumcheen | 5,843 | 7 | 0 | 2.9 km |
| Electoral Area A, Bulkley-Nechako | 5,829 | 12 | 1 | 51 km |
| Electoral Area B, Peace River | 5,814 | 6 | 0 | 25 km |
| Duncan | 5,745 | 16 | 1 | 1.1 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 B, North Okanagan | 3,415 | 17 | 0 | 3.2 km |
Of the 101 others, 25 count more schools. Of the 102, 25 offer 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 Duncan
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan | 16 | 1 | 4 | 1.1 km |
| Electoral Area E, Cowichan Valley 1.5 km | 16 | 1 | 5 | 2.4 km |
| Cowichan 1.5 km | 19 | 1 | 5 | 2 km |
| North Cowichan 3.6 km | 22 | 1 | 4 | 2.8 km |
| Cowichan Bay 7.8 km | 16 | 1 | 5 | 2.6 km |
| Cobble Hill 13 km | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 km |
| Shawnigan 15 km | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0.8 km |
The busiest neighbour is North Cowichan, with 22 schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school inside Duncan’s outline or within 3 km of it, the rule used across 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. Each result is placed in a fifth of BC’s schools on the same measure; a school’s band averages its fifths. BC masks small groups and counts resident students only, so no school is ranked to the place.
- What isn’t here. There are no inspection ratings to show, and a single year of enrolment gives no trend.
- The year. 2025/26, the latest open list.
- Boards and systems. Boards here split by language only: English districts and a French-language board.
Questions about schools in Duncan
How many schools are there in Duncan?
The town holds 5 of them; 11 more are within 3 km of its outline.
Is there a French-language school in Duncan?
Yes: Des Cascades, the French-language schools here.
How do I get a place at a school in Duncan?
Contact the board: it names the school for your address and takes the registration.
Which boards run the schools in Duncan?
SD 79 Cowichan Valley (11) and SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone (1), 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).