Photo: Abebenjoe · CC BY-SA 3.0The 34 schools of Cape Breton: 30 elementary schools and 4 secondary schools
Inside the town there are 32; another 2 sit within 3 km. Of the 34, one teaches in French (6% of schools in Nova Scotia). With no open results to compare (the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20), there’s no schools grade in Nova Scotia.
Where the 34 schools in and around Cape Breton 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 Cape Breton
English, French and other languages of instruction, beside the mix in Nova Scotia.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Nova Scotia.
Conseil scolaire acadien provincial runs the French-language ones: Centre scolaire Étoile de l'Acadie.
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 Cape Breton’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
Grouped by system: English public 33 and French-language 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
The 2 boards that run schools here
Each board’s schools in the area, largest first.
Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education has 33 of the area’s schools, the most of the 2 boards.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for EducationBoularderie, Bras d'Or, Breton Education Centre, Brookland, CBVRCE Adult, Coxheath, Cusack, Donkin … | English public | 33 |
| Conseil scolaire acadien provincialCentre scolaire Étoile de l'Acadie | French public | 1 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Cape Breton
French-language schools
A child qualifies for a French-language school when a parent’s first language is French or a parent went to French school in Canada; an admissions committee can admit others.
The neighbourhood school
Ask the board first. It holds the enrolment list and points each street to its own school; out-of-area requests go ahead only with space to spare.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 34 schools in and around Cape Breton
High schools within reach of Cape Breton
The high schools a family here could reach, within 15 km.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 4: 4 English public. Sydney Academy lies closest, 3.1 km from the centre.
| School | Board | System | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney AcademySecondary · Grades 9–RG | Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education | English public | 3.1 km |
| Riverview High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education | English public | 7.5 km |
| Memorial Composite High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education | English public | 8.4 km |
| Glace Bay High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education | English public | 15 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Canadian towns its size
Towns of a similar population, with their schools in or within 3 km; described, not ranked.
| Town | Population | Schools | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelowna | 167,654 | 49 | 1 | 2.4 km |
| … | ||||
| Chatham | 112,716 | 45 | 6 | 0.9 km |
| Nanaimo | 111,845 | 39 | 2 | 1.3 km |
| Kamloops | 108,793 | 42 | 1 | 2.5 km |
| Strathcona County | 107,345 | 85 | 2 | 0.8 km |
| Cape Breton | 106,752 | 34 | 1 | 3.2 km |
| Maple Ridge | 105,925 | 42 | 0 | 0.6 km |
| Chilliwack | 105,520 | 42 | 1 | 1.9 km |
| Victoria | 103,888 | 57 | 2 | 0.8 km |
| Moncton | 102,378 | 34 | 10 | 1 km |
| … | ||||
| Welland | 66,480 | 30 | 8 | 1.3 km |
Among 62 towns its size, 49 have more schools nearby. In 60 of the 63, at least one school teaches in French.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Cape Breton
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Breton | 34 | 1 | 0 | 3.2 km |
| Membertou 28B 6 km | 12 | 1 | 0 | 3 km |
It outnumbers its 1 neighbours on schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. The area is Cape Breton plus a 3 km margin around it, measured from its census outline.
- The kinds of school. Elementary and secondary come from the grades each school offers; a school offering both counts as all-grade.
- The year. The province’s 2025-26 list.
- Boards and systems. Public schools come under a board of one language; independent schools are run privately.
- What isn’t here. No province rates its schools by inspection, and enrolment covers one year (Ontario and Alberta only), so there is no trend.
Questions about schools in Cape Breton
How do I get a place at a school in Cape Breton?
Start with the board for the system you want; your address sets the school.
Which boards run the schools in Cape Breton?
Cape Breton Victoria Regional Centre for Education (33) and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (1), with each one’s schools in brackets.
Is there a French-language school in Cape Breton?
Yes, schooling in French is at Centre scolaire Étoile de l'Acadie.
Sources: Nova Scotia Department of Education, school contact list 2025-26 (Open Government Licence – Nova Scotia) · 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).