Photo: Globalphotobank · CC BY-SA 4.08 of Williams Lake’s 9 tested schools score in the lower two fifths in British Columbia
Its 3 km reach takes in 9 elementary schools, 1 school for every grade and 2 alternative or adult schools, all of Williams Lake’s schooling.
How Williams Lake’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 D: 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) | 7 | 420 | 468 |
| Grade 4 numeracy (FSA score) | 7 | 402 | 472 |
| Grade 7 literacy (FSA score) | 2 | 428 | 467 |
| Grade 7 numeracy (FSA score) | 2 | 392 | 454 |
| First-time Grade 12 graduation | 1 | 78% | 91% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is Grade 4 numeracy: 402 here, against 472 in British Columbia. Above the middle on 0, below on 5: that is the 5 measures.
Every school’s results (9)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Cataline ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 444 · G4 numeracy 486 | Middle fifth |
| Sacred Heart Catholic SchoolElementary | G4 literacy 443 · G4 numeracy 477 · G7 literacy 444 · G7 numeracy 404 | Fourth fifth |
| Marie Sharpe ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 446 · G4 numeracy 382 | Bottom fifth |
| Mountview ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 383 · G4 numeracy 433 | Bottom fifth |
| Chilcotin Road ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 420 · G4 numeracy 402 | Bottom fifth |
| Columneetza Junior SecondaryElementary | G7 literacy 413 · G7 numeracy 380 | Bottom fifth |
| Lake City SecondaryElementary | G7 literacy no data · G7 numeracy no data · Graduation 78% | Bottom fifth |
| Maranatha Christian SchoolAll grades | G4 literacy 382 · G4 numeracy 401 · G7 literacy masked · G7 numeracy masked | Bottom fifth |
| Nesika ElementaryElementary | G4 literacy 413 · G4 numeracy 390 | 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 12 schools in and around Williams Lake are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Williams Lake
Each school by its language of instruction, with the share in British Columbia marked.
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 Williams Lake’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 9 and independent 3.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Williams Lake
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
Children go to the board’s designated school for their address, unless another school agrees to take them.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 12 schools in and around Williams Lake
High schools within reach of Williams Lake
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
Only Maranatha Christian School is within 15 km, 1.7 km from the centre.
| School | Board | System | Band | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maranatha Christian SchoolAll grades | – | Independent | Bottom fifth | 1.7 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Alternative, adult and other schools around Williams Lake
Other schooling here: online learning through Graduation Routes Other Ways; alternative programs at Skyline Alternate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Saanich | 18,184 | 8 | 0 | 0.7 km |
| … | ||||
| Summerland | 12,343 | 6 | 0 | 2.4 km |
| Nelson | 12,126 | 17 | 1 | 0.5 km |
| Provinceton | 11,625 | 38 | 0 | 1.4 km |
| Sechelt | 11,558 | 8 | 2 | 0.4 km |
| Williams Lake | 11,462 | 12 | 0 | 0.6 km |
| Coldstream | 11,380 | 16 | 0 | 3.3 km |
| Norquay Village | 11,287 | 69 | 2 | 1.2 km |
| Little Saigon | 11,086 | 86 | 3 | 1 km |
| Ocean Park | 10,845 | 16 | 0 | 4.2 km |
| … | ||||
| Electoral Area C, East Kootenay | 7,006 | 12 | 0 | 4.6 km |
Among 77 towns its size, 45 have more schools nearby. 22 of 78 have a school teaching in French.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Williams Lake
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Lake | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0.6 km |
| Electoral Area D, Cariboo 6.4 km | 11 | 0 | 4 | 6.6 km |
| Electoral Area E, Cariboo 6.8 km | 12 | 0 | 4 | 5.4 km |
Each of its 2 neighbours has fewer schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. A school counts when it sits inside Williams Lake or less than 3 km beyond its edge.
- The kinds of school. Elementary and secondary come from the grades each school offers; a school offering both counts as all-grade.
- The year. 2025/26, the latest open list.
- Boards and systems. The French-language board covers the whole province, the English districts one area each.
- Bands, not ranks. A masked or missing result gives no band; a school with several results averages its fifths.
- What isn’t here. Ontario’s private schools aren’t in the open list; no province publishes inspection grades.
Questions about schools in Williams Lake
How do I get a place at a school in Williams Lake?
Enrolment goes through the board; schools outside your area take students when they have room.
Is there a French-language school in Williams Lake?
None within 3 km of Williams Lake. The French-language board serves it from schools further off.
How many schools are there in Williams Lake?
The town holds 10 of them; 2 more are within 3 km of its outline.
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).