Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domainTeaching in French: 7 of Cornwall’s 25 schools
They are École élémentaire publique Rose des Vents, École secondaire catholique La Citadelle and École élémentaire catholique Marie-Tanguay, run by CÉP de l'Est de l'Ontario and CSDC de l'Est ontarien. English and French, public and Catholic boards all run schools here. 8,985 students attend the 18 elementary schools, 6 secondary schools and 1 alternative or adult school in or within 3 km of Cornwall.
What stands out about Cornwall’s schools
Results below the middle
Most of the 18 schools with results, 12, sit under the middle in Ontario; St Matthew Catholic Secondary School, St Lawrence Secondary School and Sacred Heart School are furthest below. Results ↓
More Catholic schools
14 of 25 schools here are Catholic, against 34% in Ontario; CDSB of Eastern Ontario and CSDC de l'Est ontarien run them. Who runs them ↓
Each finding compares the town’s schools with every school in its province.
Schooling in English and French around Cornwall
Each school by its language of instruction, with the share in Ontario marked.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Ontario.
The French-language schools are École élémentaire publique Rose des Vents, École secondaire catholique La Citadelle, École élémentaire catholique Marie-Tanguay and École élémentaire catholique Notre-Dame, run by CÉP de l'Est de l'Ontario and CSDC de l'Est ontarien.
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.
4 boards, school by school
Every board or service centre with a school in the area, and its schools.
The four systems cover the same streets, so the nearest school may not be the one a family’s system offers: English or French, public or Catholic, each has its own board.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDSB of Eastern OntarioSt Joseph's, Holy Trinity Catholic, Sacred Heart, Bishop Macdonell Separate, St. Joseph Intermediate, St Peter's, St Anne's, Holy Trinity Catholic … | English Catholic | 10 | 3,285 |
| Upper Canada DSBCentral, Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational, Bridgewood, St Lawrence, Eamer's Corners, Viscount Alexander, St Lawrence Intermediate, Cornwall Intermediate | English public | 8 | 3,455 |
| CSDC de l'Est ontarienLa Citadelle, Marie-Tanguay, Notre-Dame, intermédiaire catholique La Citadelle | French Catholic | 4 | 1,335 |
| CÉP de l'Est de l'Ontariopublique Rose des Vents, publique L'Héritage, publique L'Héritage | French public | 3 | 910 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How Cornwall’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 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 | Ontario |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 reading | 11 | 70% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 11 | 54% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 11 | 53% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 11 | 79% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 11 | 81% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 11 | 29% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 6 | 44% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 7 | 72% | 85% |
On Grade 6 math the area trails, 29% against 51% in Ontario. Above the middle on 0, below on 8: that is the 8 measures. The three-year changes lean upward at 6 schools and downward at 8.
Every school’s results (18)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| École secondaire catholique La CitadelleSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 66% · OSSLT 92% | Second fifth |
| St Peter's SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 79% · G3 writing 79% · G3 math 74% · G6 reading 80% · G6 writing 87% · G6 math 67% | Second fifth |
| École élémentaire publique Rose des VentsElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 83% · G3 writing 61% · G3 math 79% · G6 reading 92% · G6 writing 82% · G6 math 67% | Second fifth |
| École secondaire publique L'HéritageSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 46% · OSSLT 95% | Middle fifth |
| St Anne's SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 87% · G3 writing 82% · G3 math 64% · G6 reading 84% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 44% | Middle fifth |
| École élémentaire catholique Marie-TanguayElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 71% · G3 writing 72% · G3 math 76% · G6 reading 87% · G6 writing 85% · G6 math 55% | Middle fifth |
| St Joseph's Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 46% · OSSLT 83% | Fourth fifth |
| École élémentaire catholique Notre-DameElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 70% · G3 writing 47% · G3 math 65% · G6 reading 80% · G6 writing 67% · G6 math 70% | Fourth fifth |
| Eamer's Corners Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 70% · G3 writing 63% · G3 math 47% · G6 reading 79% · G6 writing 88% · G6 math 29% | Fourth fifth |
| Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 41% · OSSLT 72% | Bottom fifth |
| Bridgewood Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 54% · G3 writing 54% · G3 math 53% · G6 reading 58% · G6 writing 69% · G6 math 25% | Bottom fifth |
| Viscount Alexander Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 56% · G3 writing 44% · G3 math 46% · G6 reading 77% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 25% | Bottom fifth |
| Bishop Macdonell Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 47% · G3 writing 25% · G3 math 18% · G6 reading 64% · G6 writing 55% · G6 math 19% | Bottom fifth |
| Central Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 44% · G3 writing 29% · G3 math 29% · G6 reading 66% · G6 writing 68% · G6 math 17% | Bottom fifth |
| Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 19% · OSSLT 72% | Bottom fifth |
| Sacred Heart SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 53% · G3 writing 31% · G3 math 30% · G6 reading 73% · G6 writing 63% · G6 math 8% | Bottom fifth |
| St Lawrence Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 20% · OSSLT 53% | Bottom fifth |
| St Matthew Catholic Secondary SchoolAlternative or adult · Grades 9–12 | G9 math not reported · OSSLT 18% | 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 25 schools in and around Cornwall are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
Points from the provincial lists.
Who runs Cornwall’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English public, English Catholic, French-language, and independent or other.
Their systems: English public 8, English Catholic 10 and French-language 7.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Cornwall
French-language schools
French-language boards admit the children of rights-holders under section 23 of the Charter (a parent whose first language is French, or who was schooled in French in Canada), and may admit others through an admissions committee.
Catholic schools
The Catholic boards are as public as the others: free, with elementary schools that generally require a Catholic parent and high schools open to everyone.
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 25 schools in and around Cornwall
High schools within reach of Cornwall
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 6: 2 English public, 2 English Catholic, 1 French Catholic and 1 French public. Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School lies closest, 0.7 km from the centre.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Upper Canada DSB | English public | Bottom fifth | 575 | 0.7 km |
| École secondaire catholique La CitadelleSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CSDC de l'Est ontarien | French Catholic | Second fifth | 465 | 1.5 km |
| St Joseph's Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CDSB of Eastern Ontario | English Catholic | Fourth fifth | 745 | 1.7 km |
| St Lawrence Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Upper Canada DSB | English public | Bottom fifth | 505 | 2.6 km |
| École secondaire publique L'HéritageSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CÉP de l'Est de l'Ontario | French public | Middle fifth | 195 | 2.7 km |
| Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CDSB of Eastern Ontario | English Catholic | Bottom fifth | 535 | 5.1 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Alternative, adult and other schools around Cornwall
Besides the elementary and high schools: alternative programs at St Matthew Catholic Secondary School. Their cards ↑
The kinds as the provincial lists give them (alternative, adult and continuing education, online, provincial schools).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindsay | 85,351 | 28 | 9,620 | 0 | 6.2 km |
| … | |||||
| Stouffville | 58,010 | 34 | 20,140 | 2 | 1.3 km |
| Caledonia | 56,059 | 22 | 7,570 | 0 | 1.2 km |
| Woodstock | 55,572 | 21 | 8,555 | 3 | 0.6 km |
| Roseborough | 54,539 | 81 | 40,865 | 7 | 0.6 km |
| Cornwall | 54,346 | 25 | 8,985 | 7 | 0.7 km |
| Keswick | 53,630 | 19 | 7,445 | 0 | 6 km |
| Bradford | 51,346 | 18 | 9,525 | 0 | 0.1 km |
| Alliston | 50,739 | 18 | 9,475 | 0 | 5.5 km |
| Innisfil | 50,686 | 35 | 18,590 | 2 | 0.7 km |
| … | |||||
| DT Core | 33,003 | 67 | 33,280 | 1 | 0.7 km |
Set against 44 others, 31 have more schools in reach. Teaching in French: 35 of the 45 have it.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Cornwall
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall | 25 | 7 | 14 | 0.7 km |
| Akwesasne (Part) 59 2.6 km | 21 | 7 | 11 | 2 km |
| Akwesasne 14 km | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 km |
| South Glengarry 15 km | 18 | 6 | 8 | 3.2 km |
| Long Sault 16 km | 6 | 1 | 3 | 13 km |
It has more schools than any of its 4 neighbours.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. The area is Cornwall 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.
- Bands, not ranks. A band is the fifth of Ontario’s schools a result falls in, averaged over the school’s measures; small groups go unreported, so places would overstate it.
- What isn’t here. Provinces don’t grade schools by inspection; class sizes and enrolment over time aren’t in the open lists.
- The year. The provincial list for 2024-25.
- Boards and systems. Boards are set by language and, in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, by faith: public or Catholic.
Questions about schools in Cornwall
How many schools are there in Cornwall?
The town holds 23 of them; 2 more are within 3 km of its outline.
Is there a French-language school in Cornwall?
Yes: École élémentaire publique Rose des Vents, École secondaire catholique La Citadelle, École élémentaire catholique Marie-Tanguay and École élémentaire catholique Notre-Dame, the French-language schools here.
How do I get a place at a school in Cornwall?
Registration is with the board, which assigns the school for the home address.
Which boards run the schools in Cornwall?
CDSB of Eastern Ontario (10), Upper Canada DSB (8), CSDC de l'Est ontarien (4) and CÉP de l'Est de l'Ontario (3), 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).