Photo: CanadianEman · CC BY-SA 3.0Fort Nelson has 2 of its 4 tested schools in the top fifth in British Columbia
They include G W Carlson Elementary and J S Clark Elementary. Its 3 km reach takes in 5 elementary schools and 1 secondary school, all of Fort Nelson’s schooling.
What stands out about Fort Nelson’s schools
The strongest results
G W Carlson Elementary (elementary) posts the area’s strongest results: the top fifth in British Columbia. Results ↓
Every figure here sets the area’s schools beside the rest of its province.
How Fort Nelson’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 B: 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 | 520 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 2 | 539 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 1 | 468 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 1 | 488 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 1 | 72% | 91% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is first-time graduation: 72% here, against 91% in British Columbia. On 3 of 5 measures the area beats the provincial middle; on 1 it trails.
Every school’s results (4)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| G W Carlson ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 526 · G4 numeracy 530 | Top fifth |
| J S Clark ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 515 · G4 numeracy 548 | Top fifth |
| R L Angus ElementaryElementary | G7 literacy 468 · G7 numeracy 488 | Middle fifth |
| Fort Nelson SecondarySecondary | Graduation 72% | 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 6 schools in and around Fort Nelson are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Fort Nelson
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.
All teach in the province’s majority language; none in French.
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 Fort Nelson’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
By system, they split: English public 5 and independent 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Fort Nelson
Independent schools
Independent schools choose their students and charge fees, with part of their costs paid by the province when they qualify.
The neighbourhood school
Boards set boundaries for each school; living inside one guarantees a place there, and moving across one usually means a request.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 6 schools in and around Fort Nelson
High schools within reach of Fort Nelson
Secondary and all-grade schools within 15 km, by distance.
One secondary school is within 15 km: Fort Nelson Secondary, 0.2 km away.
| School | Board | System | Band | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Nelson SecondarySecondary | SD 81 Fort Nelson | English public | Bottom fifth | 0.2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Village | 6,492 | 56 | 1 | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||
| Electoral Area F, Central Kootenay | 4,209 | 16 | 2 | 3.5 km |
| Port Hardy | 4,201 | 6 | 0 | 1.4 km |
| Electoral Area B, Cariboo | 4,169 | 11 | 0 | 9.9 km |
| Electoral Area E, Kitimat-Stikine | 4,153 | 11 | 1 | 3.7 km |
| Fort Nelson | 4,144 | 6 | 0 | 0.2 km |
| Electoral Area C, Okanagan-Similkameen | 4,103 | 7 | 0 | 4 km |
| Okanagan Falls | 4,002 | 14 | 2 | 11 km |
| Electoral Area J, Central Kootenay | 3,915 | 4 | 0 | 3.3 km |
| Electoral Area F, East Kootenay | 3,893 | 8 | 0 | 14 km |
| … | ||||
| Clearwater | 2,500 | 3 | 0 | 85 km |
Set against 105 others, 54 have more schools in reach. A school in French is nearby in 22 towns of 106.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. A 3 km band around Fort Nelson’s outline is included, as it is for every town on the site.
- The kinds of school. Kindergarten to Grade 8 is elementary, Grade 9 to 12 secondary, though the split varies by province and board.
- What isn’t here. There are no inspection ratings to show, and a single year of enrolment gives no trend.
- Bands, not ranks. BC publishes average FSA scores and graduation rates, masking small groups, so the page gives fifths, not ranks.
- The year. The province’s 2025/26 list.
- Boards and systems. English and French boards share the province, each with its own schools; there are no separate Catholic boards here.
Questions about schools in Fort Nelson
Is there a French-language school in Fort Nelson?
Not within 3 km of Fort Nelson. The French-language board still serves families here.
How many schools are there in Fort Nelson?
All 6 are inside the town itself.
How do I get a place at a school in Fort Nelson?
Choose a system, then register with its board; the address decides 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).