Photo: Kevstan · CC BY-SA 3.0Of Port Alberni’s 11 tested schools, 1 sit above the middle in British Columbia and 6 below
The highest results belong to John Paul II Catholic School. One of the 13 teaches in French, against 2% of schools in British Columbia. The 3 km around Port Alberni counts 9 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 3 alternative or adult schools.
What stands out about Port Alberni’s schools
The strongest results
The area’s best results are at John Paul II Catholic School (elementary), in the top fifth in British Columbia. Results ↓
The comparisons are with the province’s schools, never across provinces.
How Port Alberni’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 | 465 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 9 | 462 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 8 | 450 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 8 | 426 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 2 | 71% | 91% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is first-time graduation: 71% here, against 91% in British Columbia. On 0 of 5 measures the area beats the provincial middle; on 3 it trails.
Every school’s results (11)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| John Paul II Catholic SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 503 · G4 numeracy 488 · G7 literacy 523 · G7 numeracy 534 | Top fifth |
| John Howitt ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 467 · G4 numeracy 502 · G7 literacy 460 · G7 numeracy 473 | Middle fifth |
| des Grands-cedresElementary | G4 literacy 455 · G4 numeracy 540 · G7 literacy masked · G7 numeracy masked | Middle fifth |
| Alberni ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 474 · G4 numeracy 489 · G7 literacy 436 · G7 numeracy 424 | Middle fifth |
| Tsuma-as ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 477 · G4 numeracy 462 · G7 literacy 453 · G7 numeracy 422 | Middle fifth |
| Maquinna ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 465 · G4 numeracy 449 · G7 literacy 472 · G7 numeracy 428 | Fourth fifth |
| Alberni District SecondarySecondary | Graduation 86% | Fourth fifth |
| Wood ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 455 · G4 numeracy 453 · G7 literacy 446 · G7 numeracy 428 | Fourth fifth |
| Eighth Avenue Learning CentreAlternative or adult | G7 literacy masked · G7 numeracy masked · Graduation 56% | Bottom fifth |
| Eric J Dunn ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 409 · G4 numeracy 416 · G7 literacy 409 · G7 numeracy 377 | Bottom fifth |
| Haahuupayak SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 363 · G4 numeracy 298 · G7 literacy 345 · G7 numeracy 290 | 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 13 schools in and around Port Alberni are
Each pin is a school, coloured by the system that runs it, sized by its students where the province publishes them.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Port Alberni
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.
SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophone runs the French-language ones: des Grands-cedres.
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 Port Alberni’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
The split by system: English public 10, French-language 1 and independent 2.
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 70 Pacific Rim counts 10, more than any of the other boards of the 2.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| SD 70 Pacific RimAlberni District Secondary, Alberni, Choices DL, Eighth Avenue Learning Centre, Eric J Dunn, John Howitt, Maquinna, SD 70 Continuing Ed … | English public | 10 |
| SD 93 Conseil scolaire francophonedes Grands-cedres | French public | 1 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Port Alberni
The neighbourhood school
Families enrol through the board, which assigns the school serving their street; transfers depend on space.
French-language schools
The French boards take rights-holders’ children by right and others by committee.
Independent schools
Independent schools choose their students and charge fees, with part of their costs paid by the province when they qualify.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 13 schools in and around Port Alberni
High schools within reach of Port Alberni
Secondary and all-grade schools within 15 km, by distance.
Within 15 km there is one high school, Alberni District Secondary (1.2 km).
| School | Board | System | Band | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberni District SecondarySecondary | SD 70 Pacific Rim | English public | Fourth fifth | 1.2 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Alternative, adult and other schools around Port Alberni
The area also has online learning through Choices DL; alternative programs at Eighth Avenue Learning Centre; adult and continuing education at SD 70 Continuing Ed. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria-Fraserview | 31,095 | 66 | 2 | 0.2 km |
| … | ||||
| Electoral Area A, Metro Vancouver | 22,031 | 58 | 0 | 0.7 km |
| Dunbar-Southlands | 21,117 | 50 | 0 | 1.7 km |
| Pitt Meadows | 20,892 | 39 | 0 | 1.2 km |
| Salmon Arm | 20,891 | 14 | 0 | 0.6 km |
| Port Alberni | 19,671 | 13 | 1 | 1.2 km |
| Esquimalt | 19,512 | 32 | 2 | 0.8 km |
| Granville Entertainment District | 19,125 | 42 | 0 | 0.4 km |
| Oak Bay | 18,626 | 38 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Collingwood | 18,399 | 64 | 2 | 1.3 km |
| … | ||||
| Nelson | 12,126 | 17 | 1 | 0.5 km |
44 out of 58 comparable towns have more schools. A French-language school is within reach in 22 of the 59.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Port Alberni
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Alberni | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1.2 km |
| Electoral Area F, Alberni-Clayoquot 3.4 km | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2.3 km |
| Electoral Area E, Alberni-Clayoquot 6 km | 8 | 1 | 3 | 5.4 km |
| Electoral Area D, Alberni-Clayoquot 12 km | 12 | 1 | 3 | 12 km |
Of 3 neighbours, none has more schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. The French-language board covers the whole province, the English districts one area each.
- Which schools count. The area is Port Alberni plus a 3 km margin around it, measured from its census outline.
- The kinds of school. The kind of school is what its province lists: elementary, secondary or both.
Questions about schools in Port Alberni
Is there a French-language school in Port Alberni?
Yes, there are French-language schools: des Grands-cedres.
How many schools are there in Port Alberni?
12 are inside the town itself and 1 lie within 3 km of its edge.
How do I get a place at a school in Port Alberni?
Choose a system, then register with its board; the address decides the school.
Which boards run the schools in Port Alberni?
SD 70 Pacific Rim (10) 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).