Photo: Sophilosophie · CC BY-SA 4.0Clare’s teenagers travel 46 km to the nearest high school
In or within 3 km of the town: 6 elementary schools, and no high school. French-language schooling is strong here, 3 of 6, where in Nova Scotia it is 6%.
High schools within reach of Clare
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
No secondary school is within 15 km of the town.
Schooling in English and French around Clare
The language each school teaches in, against every school in Nova Scotia.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Nova Scotia.
The French-language schools are École Joseph-Dugas, École secondaire de Clare and École Stella-Maris, run by Conseil scolaire acadien provincial.
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.
Where the 6 schools in and around Clare are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Who runs Clare’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
System by system: English public 3 and French-language 3.
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.
Among 2 boards, Conseil scolaire acadien provincial leads with 3.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Conseil scolaire acadien provincialJoseph-Dugas, Stella-Maris, de Clare | French public | 3 |
| Tri-County Regional Centre for EducationPort Maitland Consolidated, St. Mary's Bay Academy, Weymouth Consolidated | English public | 3 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Clare
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
Families enrol through the board, which assigns the school serving their street; transfers depend on space.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 6 schools in and around Clare
Towns its size in Nova Scotia
Places of about the same size and their schools in or within 3 km, largest first.
| Town | Population | Schools | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kings County, Subdivision B | 12,661 | 11 | 0 | 7 km |
| … | ||||
| Beaver Bank | 9,157 | 21 | 1 | 4.9 km |
| Kings County, Subdivision C | 8,994 | 9 | 0 | 3.4 km |
| Pictou County, Subdivision C | 8,847 | 10 | 0 | 5.4 km |
| Argyle | 8,216 | 6 | 4 | 17 km |
| Clare | 8,020 | 6 | 3 | 46 km |
| Kentville | 7,589 | 7 | 0 | 4.1 km |
| Digby | 7,528 | 5 | 0 | 75 km |
| Yarmouth | 7,129 | 3 | 0 | 1.2 km |
| Springhill | 7,015 | 6 | 0 | 24 km |
| … | ||||
| Annapolis County, Subdivision B | 5,086 | 3 | 0 | 26 km |
Among 40 towns its size, 19 have more schools nearby. Teaching in French: 13 of the 41 have it.
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. The area is Clare plus a 3 km margin around it, measured from its census outline.
- The kinds of school. Where a province publishes grades, the card gives them; elementary and secondary follow those grades.
- What isn’t here. Inspection reports with ratings don’t exist here, and the lists give enrolment for one year at most.
- The year. Listed for 2025-26.
- Boards and systems. Boards here split by language only: English districts and a French-language board.
Questions about schools in Clare
How many schools are there in Clare?
4 are inside the town itself and 2 lie within 3 km of its edge.
Is there a French-language school in Clare?
Yes: École Joseph-Dugas, École secondaire de Clare and École Stella-Maris, the French-language schools here.
How do I get a place at a school in Clare?
Registration is with the board, which assigns the school for the home address.
Which boards run the schools in Clare?
By number of schools: Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (3) and Tri-County Regional Centre for Education (3).
Sources: Nova Scotia Department of Education, school contact list 2025-26 (Open Government Licence – Nova Scotia) · Why no schools grade in Nova Scotia? The province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20. · 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).