Photo: Robert Alfers · Public domain19 schools in and around Bedford: 16 elementary schools and 3 secondary schools
Inside the town there are 10; another 9 sit within 3 km. 2 of the 19 teach in French, against 6% of schools in Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia, there’s no schools grade: the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.
Where the 19 schools in and around Bedford are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Bedford
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.
By name, in French: École secondaire du Sommet and École Beaubassin (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.
Who runs Bedford’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English and French public boards, independent and other schools.
Counted by who runs them: English public 17 and French-language 2.
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.
Among 2 boards, Halifax Regional Centre for Education leads with 17.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Halifax Regional Centre for EducationA J Smeltzer Junior High, Basinview Drive Community, Bedford South, Bedford and Forsyth Education Centres, Caudle Park, Cavalier Drive, Charles P Allen High, Grosvenor Wentworth Park … | English public | 17 |
| Conseil scolaire acadien provincialBeaubassin, du Sommet | French public | 2 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Bedford
The neighbourhood school
Families enrol through the board, which assigns the school serving their street; transfers depend on space.
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 provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 19 schools in and around Bedford
High schools within reach of Bedford
Secondary and all-grade schools within 15 km, by distance.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 28: 26 English public and 2 French public. The shortest trip is to Charles P Allen High, 1.4 km.
| School | Board | System | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles P Allen HighSecondary · Grades 10–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 1.4 km |
| Bedford and Forsyth Education CentresSecondary · Grades 10–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 2.9 km |
| Rocky Lake Junior HighSecondary · Grades 7–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 4.7 km |
| Park WestSecondary | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 5.7 km |
| Sackville HighSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 6.3 km |
| Halifax West HighSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 7 km |
| Fairview Junior HighAll grades · Grades 6–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 8.1 km |
| Highland Park Junior HighSecondary · Grades 7–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 8.2 km |
| Millwood HighSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 8.3 km |
| John Martin Junior HighAll grades · Grades 6–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 8.4 km |
All 28 secondary schools
| School | Board | System | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| École secondaire MosaïqueSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Conseil scolaire acadien provincial | French public | 8.6 km |
| Ridgecliff Middle SchoolAll grades · Grades 6–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 9.2 km |
| St Agnes Junior HighSecondary · Grades 7–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 9.4 km |
| OxfordAll grades | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 9.9 km |
| Dartmouth HighSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 10 km |
| BicentennialAll grades | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 10 km |
| Madeline Symonds Middle SchoolAll grades · Grades 6–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 10 km |
| Halifax Central Junior HighSecondary · Grades 7–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 11 km |
| Citadel HighSecondary · Grades 10–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 11 km |
| Five Bridges Junior HighAll grades · Grades 6–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 11 km |
| Gorsebrook Junior HighSecondary · Grades 7–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 12 km |
| Caledonia Junior HighSecondary · Grades 7–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 12 km |
| Lockview HighSecondary · Grades 9–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 13 km |
| École Mer et MondeAll grades | Conseil scolaire acadien provincial | French public | 13 km |
| Woodlawn HighSecondary · Grades 10–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 13 km |
| Ellenvale Junior HighAll grades · Grades 6–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 14 km |
| Eric Graves Memorial Junior HighSecondary · Grades 7–9 | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 14 km |
| Bay View HighSecondary · Grades 10–RG | Halifax Regional Centre for Education | English public | 15 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Towns its size in Nova Scotia
Similar-sized towns and their schools within 3 km, by population.
| Town | Population | Schools | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton Park West | 34,404 | 24 | 2 | 0.8 km |
| Bedford | 28,848 | 19 | 2 | 1.4 km |
| Austinville | 28,021 | 35 | 3 | 0.8 km |
| Enfield | 26,960 | 13 | 0 | 14 km |
| Lunenburg | 26,862 | 16 | 1 | 2.8 km |
| Kingston | 24,574 | 11 | 1 | 3.7 km |
| … | ||||
| Schmidtville | 18,105 | 24 | 1 | 0.8 km |
More schools are within reach in 9 of the 14 other towns. Of the 15, 13 offer a French-language school.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Bedford
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1.4 km |
| Clayton Park West 5 km | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0.8 km |
| Lower Sackville 5.7 km | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0.6 km |
| Fairview 7.7 km | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 km |
| Mount Royale 7.9 km | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 km |
| Timberlea 8.1 km | 21 | 2 | 0 | 4.6 km |
| Middle Sackville 8.2 km | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0.7 km |
Most schools next door: Fairview, 26.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The year. The 2025-26 list.
- Boards and systems. The French-language board covers the whole province, the English districts one area each.
- What isn’t here. Provinces don’t grade schools by inspection; class sizes and enrolment over time aren’t in the open lists.
- Which schools count. The area is Bedford 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 Bedford
How do I get a place at a school in Bedford?
Ask the board which school serves your street, then register through it.
Is there a French-language school in Bedford?
Yes, there are French-language schools: École secondaire du Sommet and École Beaubassin.
Which boards run the schools in Bedford?
Halifax Regional Centre for Education (17) and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (2), with each one’s schools in brackets.
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).