Photo: Holger Steinhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0No high school in or near Fernie: the closest is 23 km off
Within 3 km of the town there are 4 elementary schools and 1 alternative or adult school only. One school here teaches in French; in British Columbia, 2% of schools do.
What stands out about Fernie’s schools
Results below the middle
Most of the 3 schools with results, 2, sit under the middle in British Columbia; Isabella Dicken Elementary, Fernie Secondary and The Fernie Academy are furthest below. Results ↓
The strongest results
The Fernie Academy (elementary) posts the area’s strongest results: the top fifth in British Columbia. Results ↓
The comparisons are with the province’s schools, never across provinces.
High schools within reach of Fernie
The high schools a family here could reach, within 15 km.
Within 15 km of the town there is no secondary school at all.
Schooling in English and French around Fernie
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.
The French-language schools are Sophie-Morigeau, run by 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.
How Fernie’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 | 495 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 2 | 486 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 2 | 497 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 2 | 464 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 1 | 95% | 91% |
On Grade 7 literacy the area runs ahead, 497 against 467 in British Columbia. The area is ahead on 3 of 5 measures and behind on 0.
Every school’s results (3)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| The Fernie AcademyElementary | G4 literacy 551 · G4 numeracy 544 · G7 literacy 574 · G7 numeracy 531 · Graduation masked | Top fifth |
| Fernie SecondaryElementary | G7 literacy 420 · G7 numeracy 396 · Graduation 95% | Fourth fifth |
| Isabella Dicken ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 440 · G4 numeracy 427 | 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 5 schools in and around Fernie are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
Points from the provincial lists.
Who runs Fernie’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
Counted by who runs them: English public 3, French-language 1 and independent 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
2 boards, school by school
Each board’s schools in the area, largest first.
The biggest of the 2 is SD 5 Southeast Kootenay: 3 schools.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| SD 5 Southeast KootenayFernie Secondary, Isabella Dicken, Kootenay Discovery | English public | 3 |
| SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophoneSophie-Morigeau | French public | 1 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Fernie
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.
French-language schools
Section 23 rights-holders, francophone parents or those schooled in French in Canada, have a place; others apply to the board’s committee.
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 provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 5 schools in and around Fernie
Alternative, adult and other schools around Fernie
Besides the elementary and high schools: online learning through Kootenay Discovery School. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norquay Village | 11,287 | 69 | 2 | 1.2 km |
| … | ||||
| Merritt | 7,190 | 8 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Hope | 7,183 | 6 | 0 | 0.8 km |
| Fairwinds | 7,125 | 3 | 0 | 13 km |
| Kent | 7,093 | 6 | 0 | 0.8 km |
| Fernie | 7,086 | 5 | 1 | 23 km |
| Electoral Area C, East Kootenay | 7,006 | 12 | 0 | 4.6 km |
| Anniedale | 6,715 | 53 | 0 | 3.7 km |
| Southern Gulf Islands | 6,691 | 8 | 0 | 4.5 km |
| Garden Village | 6,492 | 56 | 1 | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||
| Invermere | 4,305 | 6 | 0 | 0.5 km |
Set against 88 others, 67 have more schools in reach. Of the 89, 20 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 Fernie
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernie | 5 | 1 | 1 | 23 km |
| Electoral Area A, East Kootenay 11 km | 9 | 1 | 1 | 33 km |
Next door, Electoral Area A, East Kootenay counts 9 schools, more than any other neighbour.
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. Missing: inspection ratings (no province gives them), enrolment trends and Ontario’s private schools.
- Boards and systems. The French-language board covers the whole province, the English districts one area each.
- The year. Schools as listed for 2025/26.
- The kinds of school. Elementary schools run from kindergarten to Grade 6 or 8, secondary ones to Grade 12; some cover every grade, and alternative, adult and online schools are listed apart.
- Which schools count. Every school inside Fernie’s outline or within 3 km of it, the rule used across the site.
Questions about schools in Fernie
How many schools are there in Fernie?
All 5 are inside the town itself.
Is there a French-language school in Fernie?
Yes, there are French-language schools: Sophie-Morigeau.
Which boards run the schools in Fernie?
By number of schools: SD 5 Southeast Kootenay (3) and SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone (1).
How do I get a place at a school in Fernie?
Registration is with the board, which assigns the school for the home 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).