Photo: Jfvoll · CC BY-SA 4.0The schools around Ayr answer to 4 boards
Waterloo Region DSB has 33 of them, and Waterloo CDSB, Grand Erie DSB and CS catholique MonAvenir share the others. Results are mixed: 7 of 45 schools above the middle in Ontario, 17 below it. In or within 3 km of Ayr: 45 elementary schools and 6 secondary schools, with 24,180 students.
What stands out about Ayr’s schools
One big school
St Benedict Catholic Secondary School is the largest school here, with 1,955 students. Every school ↓
The strongest results
The area’s best results are at New Dundee Public School (elementary), in the top fifth in Ontario. Results ↓
Each finding compares the town’s schools with every school in its province.
The 4 boards that run schools here
The boards and their schools here.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo Region DSBGlenview Park, Galt, Groh, Preston, Moffat Creek, Southwood, Oak Creek, Clemens Mill … | English public | 33 | 15,300 |
| Waterloo CDSBSt Benedict Catholic, Monsignor Doyle Catholic, St Josephine Bakhita Catholic, St Vincent de Paul Catholic, Holy Spirit Catholic, St Augustine Catholic, St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic, St Timothy Catholic … | English Catholic | 16 | 8,410 |
| Grand Erie DSBGlen Morris Central | English public | 1 | 205 |
| CS catholique MonAvenirÉÉC Saint-Noël-Chabanel-Cambridge | French Catholic | 1 | 265 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How Ayr’s schools do on Ontario’s tests
EQAO’s Grade 3, 6 and 9 assessments and the literacy test, 2024-25: each school against every school in Ontario.
Its School Grade is B+: 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 | Ontario |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 reading | 39 | 69% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 39 | 61% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 39 | 62% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 39 | 86% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 39 | 81% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 39 | 46% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 6 | 53% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 6 | 84% | 85% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is Grade 6 math: 46% here, against 51% in Ontario. Of 8 measures, 0 sit above the province’s middle and 6 below. Over three years, 24 schools gained on most measures and 15 lost ground.
Every school’s results (45)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| New Dundee Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 95% · G3 writing 80% · G3 math 85% · G6 reading 100% · G6 writing 100% · G6 math 81% | Top fifth |
| Parkway Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 97% · G3 writing 89% · G3 math 77% · G6 reading 96% · G6 writing 100% · G6 math 59% | Top fifth |
| St Brigid Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 84% · G3 writing 74% · G3 math 65% · G6 reading 100% · G6 writing 100% · G6 math 67% | Second fifth |
| St Joseph Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 86% · G3 writing 76% · G3 math 76% · G6 reading 90% · G6 writing 90% · G6 math 70% | Second fifth |
| J W Gerth Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 65% · G3 writing 63% · G3 math 63% · G6 reading 94% · G6 writing 95% · G6 math 80% | Second fifth |
| Saginaw Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 85% · G3 writing 75% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 91% · G6 writing 86% · G6 math 51% | Second fifth |
| St Timothy Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 80% · G3 writing 72% · G3 math 76% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 70% | Second fifth |
| Coronation Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 89% · G3 writing 74% · G3 math 74% · G6 reading 85% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 46% | Middle fifth |
| Galt Collegiate and Vocational InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 68% · OSSLT 83% | Middle fifth |
| Glen Morris Central Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 94% · G3 writing 78% · G3 math 83% · G6 reading 83% · G6 writing 87% · G6 math 43% | Middle fifth |
| Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 46% · OSSLT 92% | Middle fifth |
| St Benedict Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 52% · OSSLT 90% | Middle fifth |
| St Josephine Bakhita Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 87% · G3 writing 76% · G3 math 71% · G6 reading 81% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 66% | Middle fifth |
| Grand View Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 83% · G3 writing 73% · G3 math 83% · G6 reading 87% · G6 writing 78% · G6 math 39% | Middle fifth |
| St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 64% · G3 writing 64% · G3 math 76% · G6 reading 97% · G6 writing 80% · G6 math 60% | Middle fifth |
| St Vincent de Paul Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 69% · G3 writing 64% · G3 math 61% · G6 reading 93% · G6 writing 91% · G6 math 66% | Middle fifth |
| Brigadoon Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 65% · G3 writing 58% · G3 math 63% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 89% · G6 math 72% | Middle fifth |
| Glenview Park Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 53% · OSSLT 85% | Middle fifth |
| Groh Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 69% · G3 writing 58% · G3 math 62% · G6 reading 90% · G6 writing 87% · G6 math 65% | Middle fifth |
| Preston High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 67% · OSSLT 77% | Middle fifth |
| Blair Road Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 77% · G3 writing 77% · G3 math 62% · G6 reading 74% · G6 writing 87% · G6 math 49% | Middle fifth |
| Highland Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 69% · G3 writing 59% · G3 math 67% · G6 reading 87% · G6 writing 91% · G6 math 46% | Middle fifth |
| Holy Spirit Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 77% · G3 writing 68% · G3 math 72% · G6 reading 83% · G6 writing 73% · G6 math 61% | Middle fifth |
| Preston Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 75% · G3 writing 72% · G3 math 61% · G6 reading 82% · G6 writing 88% · G6 math 41% | Middle fifth |
| Moffat Creek Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 77% · G3 writing 70% · G3 math 62% · G6 reading 83% · G6 writing 78% · G6 math 42% | Middle fifth |
| St Augustine Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 77% · G3 writing 60% · G3 math 60% · G6 reading 80% · G6 writing 87% · G6 math 53% | Middle fifth |
| Tait Street Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 76% · G3 writing 59% · G3 math 57% · G6 reading 91% · G6 writing 83% · G6 math 35% | Middle fifth |
| ÉÉC Saint-Noël-Chabanel-CambridgeElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 70% · G3 writing 57% · G3 math 62% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 78% · G6 math 67% | Middle fifth |
| Manchester Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 61% · G3 writing 42% · G3 math 61% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 97% · G6 math 37% | Fourth fifth |
| Oak Creek Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 60% · G3 writing 56% · G3 math 56% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 89% · G6 math 50% | Fourth fifth |
| Blue Heron Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 69% · G3 writing 60% · G3 math 73% · G6 reading 86% · G6 writing 72% · G6 math 42% | Fourth fifth |
| Cedar Creek Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 71% · G3 writing 61% · G3 math 59% · G6 reading 78% · G6 writing 75% · G6 math 46% | Fourth fifth |
| Clemens Mill Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 68% · G3 writing 66% · G3 math 60% · G6 reading 78% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 35% | Fourth fifth |
| Elgin Street Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 64% · G3 writing 64% · G3 math 48% · G6 reading 81% · G6 writing 86% · G6 math 46% | Fourth fifth |
| Ayr Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 62% · G3 writing 58% · G3 math 71% · G6 reading 80% · G6 writing 77% · G6 math 20% | Fourth fifth |
| St Margaret Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 69% · G3 writing 38% · G3 math 72% · G6 reading 81% · G6 writing 76% · G6 math 43% | Fourth fifth |
| Avenue Road Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 65% · G3 writing 52% · G3 math 48% · G6 reading 78% · G6 writing 84% · G6 math 34% | Fourth fifth |
| Central Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 61% · G3 writing 50% · G3 math 46% · G6 reading 90% · G6 writing 79% · G6 math 38% | Fourth fifth |
| St Michael Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 67% · G3 writing 56% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 73% · G6 writing 77% · G6 math 31% | Fourth fifth |
| Stewart Avenue Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 52% · G3 writing 33% · G3 math 39% · G6 reading 86% · G6 writing 79% · G6 math 55% | Fourth fifth |
| St Gregory Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 53% · G3 writing 35% · G3 math 35% · G6 reading 88% · G6 writing 76% · G6 math 38% | Fourth fifth |
| St Peter Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 61% · G3 writing 30% · G3 math 43% · G6 reading 81% · G6 writing 71% · G6 math 57% | Fourth fifth |
| Christ The King Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 65% · G3 writing 53% · G3 math 41% · G6 reading 71% · G6 writing 68% · G6 math 34% | Bottom fifth |
| Southwood Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 50% · OSSLT 74% | Bottom fifth |
| Chalmers Street Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 58% · G3 writing 51% · G3 math 47% · G6 reading 64% · G6 writing 62% · G6 math 35% | Bottom fifth |
Ontario Ministry of Education, School Information Finder 2024–25 (EQAO results; N/R where groups are too small). Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Where the 51 schools in and around Ayr 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 Ayr
The language each school teaches in, against every school in Ontario.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Ontario.
1 of them teach in French: ÉÉC Saint-Noël-Chabanel-Cambridge; the public ones belong to CS catholique MonAvenir.
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 Ayr’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English public, English Catholic, French-language, and independent or other.
Who runs them, in numbers: English public 34, English Catholic 16 and French-language 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Ayr
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.
Catholic schools
Ontario’s Catholic boards are publicly funded. Their elementary schools generally ask that a parent or the child be Catholic; their high schools are open to all students.
The neighbourhood school
Boards set boundaries for each school; living inside one guarantees a place there, and moving across one usually means a request.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 51 schools in and around Ayr
Show all 45 elementary schools
High schools within reach of Ayr
The high schools a family here could reach, within 15 km.
11 secondary schools are within 15 km: 6 English public, 3 English Catholic, 1 French Catholic and 1 French public. First by distance comes Southwood Secondary School, at 8.9 km.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwood Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Bottom fifth | 700 | 8.9 km |
| Glenview Park Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Middle fifth | 1,055 | 11 km |
| Paris District High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Grand Erie DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 945 | 11 km |
| Monsignor Doyle Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo CDSB | English Catholic | Middle fifth | 1,115 | 11 km |
| Huron Heights Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Second fifth | 1,455 | 11 km |
| Preston High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Middle fifth | 855 | 11 km |
| Galt Collegiate and Vocational InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Middle fifth | 960 | 11 km |
| St Mary's High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo CDSB | English Catholic | Middle fifth | 2,240 | 14 km |
| St Benedict Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo CDSB | English Catholic | Middle fifth | 1,955 | 14 km |
| ÉSC Père-René-de-GalinéeSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CS catholique MonAvenir | French Catholic | Top fifth | 495 | 14 km |
All 11 secondary schools
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| École secondaire David Saint-JacquesSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CS Viamonde | French public | Top fifth | 105 | 15 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Towns its size in Ontario
Places of about the same size and their schools in or within 3 km, largest first.
| Town | Population | Schools | Students | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huron Heights | 20,890 | 46 | 24,350 | 5 | 0.6 km |
| … | |||||
| Kincardine | 13,169 | 7 | 2,415 | 0 | 5.7 km |
| Madoc | 13,160 | 58 | 26,450 | 2 | 1 km |
| Quantztown | 13,146 | 44 | 30,660 | 0 | 0.4 km |
| Deerfield | 13,090 | 51 | 29,920 | 0 | 1.2 km |
| Ayr | 13,051 | 51 | 24,180 | 1 | 9.1 km |
| Peel Village | 13,037 | 77 | 33,340 | 2 | 0.4 km |
| Carrville Corners | 13,004 | 29 | 15,220 | 2 | 2.4 km |
| Forest | 12,962 | 5 | 1,645 | 0 | 14 km |
| Erin | 12,924 | 12 | 3,440 | 0 | 2 km |
| … | |||||
| Dryden | 7,808 | 6 | 1,600 | 2 | 1.3 km |
Set against 389 others, 132 have more schools in reach. Schooling in French is on hand in 297 of the 390.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Ayr
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr | 51 | 1 | 17 | 9.1 km |
| Doon South 8.4 km | 16 | 1 | 5 | 3.6 km |
| Huron South 9.9 km | 22 | 1 | 8 | 1.4 km |
| Pioneer Park 11 km | 17 | 1 | 6 | 2.3 km |
| Rosenberg 11 km | 35 | 1 | 12 | 2 km |
| Pioneer Tower West 11 km | 27 | 4 | 9 | 3.2 km |
| Cambridge 13 km | 64 | 5 | 25 | 1.5 km |
The neighbour with most schools is Cambridge (64).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Schools inside Ayr and those within 3 km of its outline: a family nearby would weigh them all.
- The kinds of school. Elementary schools run from kindergarten to Grade 6 or 8, secondary ones to Grade 12; some cover every grade, and alternative, adult and online schools are listed apart.
- What isn’t here. Provinces don’t grade schools by inspection; class sizes and enrolment over time aren’t in the open lists.
- Bands, not ranks. Top fifth means a result among the best fifth of Ontario’s schools on that test; the card shows the average of a school’s fifths.
- The year. The 2024-25 list.
- Boards and systems. Each board covers a territory in one language and one system, public or Catholic; boards of different systems overlap.
Questions about schools in Ayr
How many schools are there in Ayr?
3 are inside the town itself and 48 lie within 3 km of its edge.
Is there a French-language school in Ayr?
Yes, schooling in French is at ÉÉC Saint-Noël-Chabanel-Cambridge.
How do I get a place at a school in Ayr?
Ask the board which school serves your street, then register through it.
Which boards run the schools in Ayr?
Waterloo Region DSB (33), Waterloo CDSB (16), Grand Erie DSB (1) and CS catholique MonAvenir (1), with each one’s schools in brackets.
Sources: Ontario Ministry of Education, School Information Finder 2024–25 and school contact list (Open Government Licence – Ontario) · 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).