Photo: Blake Handley from Victoria, Canada · CC BY 2.0Most schools around North Cowichan score below the middle in British Columbia: 12 of 17
The strongest results are at Queen Margaret's and Cowichan Open School. Of the 22, one teaches in French (2% of schools in British Columbia). Counting a 3 km margin, North Cowichan has 15 elementary schools, 3 secondary schools, 1 school for every grade and 3 alternative or adult schools.
What stands out about North Cowichan’s schools
The strongest results
Queen Margaret's (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.
How North 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) | 13 | 457 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 13 | 440 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 12 | 437 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 12 | 424 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 6 | 91% | 91% |
On Grade 4 numeracy the area trails, 440 against 472 in British Columbia. Across 5 measures: 0 above the middle, 3 below.
Every school’s results (17)
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Chemainus SecondaryElementary | G7 literacy 446 · G7 numeracy 423 · Graduation 91% | Fourth fifth |
| Chemainus Elementary Community SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 435 · G4 numeracy 447 | Fourth fifth |
| Ecole Mount Prevost ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 431 · G4 numeracy 411 · G7 literacy 480 · G7 numeracy 425 | Fourth fifth |
| Quw'utsun Secondary SchoolSecondary | Graduation 84% | 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 |
| Crofton Elementary Community SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 440 · G4 numeracy 403 | Bottom 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 22 schools in and around North Cowichan are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
1 more have no point in the source and are listed below the map.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around North Cowichan
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.
The French-language schools are Des Cascades, 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.
Who runs North 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 17, French-language 1 and independent 4.
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 17, more than any of the other boards of the 2.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| SD 79 Cowichan ValleyAdult Learning Centre, Alex Aitken, Alexander, Bench, Chemainus Elementary, Chemainus Secondary, Cowichan Open, Cowichan Valley Distributed Learning … | English public | 17 |
| SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophoneDes Cascades | French public | 1 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in North Cowichan
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
Independent schools here charge fees but receive some provincial funding if they meet its standards.
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 22 schools in and around North Cowichan
High schools within reach of North Cowichan
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 5: 3 English public and 2 independent. 2.8 km away, Quamichan School is the nearest.
| School | Board | System | Band | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quamichan SchoolSecondary | SD 79 Cowichan Valley | English public | – | 2.8 km |
| Cowichan Open SchoolSecondary | SD 79 Cowichan Valley | English public | Second fifth | 3.1 km |
| Queen of Angels SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | Fourth fifth | 3.6 km |
| Sunrise Waldorf SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | Top fifth | 10 km |
| Gulf Islands SecondarySecondary | SD 64 Gulf Islands | English public | Middle fifth | 15 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Alternative, adult and other schools around North Cowichan
The area also has 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whalley | 52,642 | 63 | 0 | 0.8 km |
| … | ||||
| Panorama Ridge | 36,473 | 46 | 1 | 0.5 km |
| Hastings-Sunrise | 36,072 | 75 | 1 | 0.4 km |
| Langley | 35,444 | 35 | 0 | 2.6 km |
| Edmonds | 34,805 | 55 | 0 | 1 km |
| North Cowichan | 34,525 | 22 | 1 | 2.8 km |
| Fairview | 33,969 | 68 | 2 | 0.5 km |
| Courtenay | 32,869 | 20 | 1 | 1.8 km |
| Killarney | 32,167 | 56 | 1 | 1 km |
| Victoria-Fraserview | 31,095 | 66 | 2 | 0.2 km |
| … | ||||
| Salmon Arm | 20,891 | 14 | 0 | 0.6 km |
35 of 43 similar towns count more schools. A school in French is nearby in 27 towns of 44.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around North Cowichan
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Cowichan | 22 | 1 | 4 | 2.8 km |
| Duncan 3.6 km | 16 | 1 | 4 | 1.1 km |
| Cowichan 4.8 km | 19 | 1 | 5 | 2 km |
| Electoral Area E, Cowichan Valley 5.1 km | 16 | 1 | 5 | 2.4 km |
| Cowichan Bay 10 km | 16 | 1 | 5 | 2.6 km |
| Saltspring Island 14 km | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Cobble Hill 16 km | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 km |
None of its 6 neighbours has more schools in reach.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. A school counts when it sits inside North Cowichan or less than 3 km beyond its edge.
- The kinds of school. The levels follow each school’s published grades: elementary below Grade 7 or 9, secondary above, all-grade when it runs the whole way.
- Bands, not ranks. The fifths are of schools, not students: a small school counts as much as a large one.
- What isn’t here. Ontario’s private schools aren’t in the open list; no province publishes inspection grades.
- The year. Listed for 2025/26.
- Boards and systems. Two systems share the province, English and French, each run by its own board or district.
Questions about schools in North Cowichan
How many schools are there in North Cowichan?
The town holds 14 of them; 8 more are within 3 km of its outline.
Is there a French-language school in North Cowichan?
Yes, there are French-language schools: Des Cascades.
How do I get a place at a school in North Cowichan?
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 North Cowichan?
By number of schools: SD 79 Cowichan Valley (17) and SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone (1).
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).