Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Schools in Dorchester: 3 boards, side by side
Thames Valley DSB has 7 of them, and Avon Maitland DSB and London District Catholic School Board share the others. Catholic schools are fewer here, 2 of 12, where in Ontario they are 34%. Within 3 km of Dorchester are 10 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools, teaching 4,865 students.
What stands out about Dorchester’s schools
Results on both sides
The results split: 2 of 11 schools in the upper two fifths in Ontario, 5 in the lower, with Little Falls Public School, St Marys D.C. & V. I. High School and Northdale Central Public School on top. Results ↓
No French-language school
For schooling in French, families look beyond these 12 schools: in Ontario, 10% of schools teach in it. Language ↓
Every figure here sets the area’s schools beside the rest of its province.
Which of the 3 boards runs which school
The boards and their schools here.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thames Valley DSBJohn P Robarts, Lord Dorchester, West Nissouri, Thamesford, Northdale Central, River Heights, Bonaventure Meadows | English public | 7 | 3,335 |
| Avon Maitland DSBLittle Falls, St Marys D.C. & V. I., St Marys D.C. & V.I. - | English public | 3 | 1,005 |
| London District Catholic School BoardSt David Separate, Holy Family | English Catholic | 2 | 525 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
Who runs Dorchester’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English public, English Catholic, French-language, and independent or other.
By system, they split: English public 10 and English Catholic 2.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How Dorchester’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 | 8 | 72% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 8 | 67% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 8 | 61% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 8 | 77% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 8 | 78% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 8 | 42% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 2 | 59% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 2 | 86% | 85% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is Grade 6 math: 42% here, against 51% in Ontario. On 2 of 8 measures the area beats the provincial middle; on 5 it trails. At 7 schools more of the measures rose than fell over three years; at 4, more fell.
Every school’s results (11)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Little Falls Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 80% · G3 writing 73% · G3 math 71% · G6 reading 92% · G6 writing 94% · G6 math 74% | Second fifth |
| St Marys D.C. & V. I. High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 54% · OSSLT 97% | Second fifth |
| Northdale Central Public SchoolElementary · Grades 4–8 | G6 reading 87% · G6 writing 86% · G6 math 46% | Middle fifth |
| West Nissouri Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 74% · G3 writing 72% · G3 math 85% · G6 reading 76% · G6 writing 69% · G6 math 49% | Middle fifth |
| River Heights SchoolElementary · Grades JK–3 | G3 reading 69% · G3 writing 62% · G3 math 63% | Middle fifth |
| St David Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 79% · G3 writing 72% · G3 math 59% · G6 reading 77% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 48% | Middle fifth |
| Holy Family Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 76% · G3 writing 74% · G3 math 62% · G6 reading 80% · G6 writing 76% · G6 math 32% | Fourth fifth |
| Lord Dorchester Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 63% · OSSLT 74% | Fourth fifth |
| John P Robarts Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 61% · G3 writing 56% · G3 math 55% · G6 reading 74% · G6 writing 79% · G6 math 29% | Bottom fifth |
| Thamesford Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 48% · G3 writing 23% · G3 math 51% · G6 reading 66% · G6 writing 75% · G6 math 37% | Bottom fifth |
| Bonaventure Meadows Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 52% · G3 writing 33% · G3 math 30% · G6 reading 63% · G6 writing 68% · G6 math 29% | 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 12 schools in and around Dorchester 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 Dorchester
English, French and other languages of instruction, beside the mix in Ontario.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Ontario.
All teach in the province’s majority language; none in French.
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.
How children get a place in Dorchester
Catholic schools
Catholic schools here are public, paid for by the province. Elementary places usually go to Catholic families; Catholic high schools take any student.
The neighbourhood school
Each board draws attendance areas: a child’s home address gives a designated school in each system. Families register with the board, and a school outside the area takes a child only if it has room.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 12 schools in and around Dorchester
High schools within reach of Dorchester
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 14: 10 English public, 2 English Catholic, 1 French public and 1 French Catholic. Lord Dorchester Secondary School lies closest, 3.5 km from the centre.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Dorchester Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 605 | 3.5 km |
| Clarke Road Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | Bottom fifth | 1,115 | 8.8 km |
| École secondaire Gabriel-DumontSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CS Viamonde | French public | Top fifth | 300 | 11 km |
| John Paul II Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | London District Catholic School Board | English Catholic | Bottom fifth | 940 | 12 km |
| Montcalm Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | Bottom fifth | 890 | 12 km |
| B Davison Secondary School Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | – | – | 13 km |
| G A Wheable Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | – | – | 13 km |
| École secondaire catholique Monseigneur-BruyèreSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Conseil scolaire catholique Providence | French Catholic | Second fifth | 245 | 14 km |
| Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 1,145 | 14 km |
| H B Beal Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 1,525 | 14 km |
All 14 secondary schools
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic Central High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | London District Catholic School Board | English Catholic | Middle fifth | 1,310 | 14 km |
| A B Lucas Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | Second fifth | 1,495 | 15 km |
| Ingersoll District Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | Bottom fifth | 895 | 15 km |
| London Central Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Thames Valley DSB | English public | Second fifth | 955 | 15 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Towns its size in Ontario
Similar-sized towns and their schools within 3 km, by population.
| Town | Population | Schools | Students | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorset Park | 24,770 | 92 | 35,510 | 4 | 1.2 km |
| … | |||||
| East Willowdale | 15,514 | 59 | 24,595 | 5 | 0.5 km |
| Brookside - Briarbrook - Morgans Grant | 15,509 | 20 | 11,635 | 3 | 3.5 km |
| Edenbridge-Humber Valley | 15,480 | 81 | 38,400 | 3 | 1.6 km |
| Pembroke | 15,479 | 15 | 4,950 | 5 | 0.4 km |
| Dorchester | 15,475 | 12 | 4,865 | 0 | 3.6 km |
| Hamilton Road | 15,283 | 52 | 24,190 | 3 | 2.3 km |
| Byron | 15,277 | 22 | 13,050 | 2 | 2.1 km |
| Pleasant View | 15,248 | 83 | 29,030 | 2 | 0.8 km |
| Central Elgin | 15,230 | 17 | 9,435 | 0 | 2 km |
| … | |||||
| Cooksville NHD (East) | 9,313 | 59 | 26,020 | 1 | 2 km |
Of the 382 others, 321 count more schools. 297 of 383 have a school teaching in French.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Dorchester
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester | 12 | 0 | 2 | 3.6 km |
| Argyle 8.5 km | 47 | 6 | 12 | 0.6 km |
| Jackson 11 km | 25 | 2 | 6 | 0.7 km |
| Hamilton Road 11 km | 52 | 3 | 13 | 2.3 km |
| Huron Heights 12 km | 46 | 5 | 13 | 0.6 km |
| East London 12 km | 56 | 4 | 15 | 0.7 km |
| Glen Cairn 13 km | 42 | 3 | 10 | 1.6 km |
The busiest neighbour is East London, with 56 schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The kinds of school. Where a province publishes grades, the card gives them; elementary and secondary follow those grades.
- Which schools count. Every school inside Dorchester’s outline or within 3 km of it, the rule used across the site.
- What isn’t here. There are no inspection ratings to show, and a single year of enrolment gives no trend.
- Bands, not ranks. Each result is placed in a fifth of Ontario’s schools on the same measure; a school’s band averages its fifths. EQAO doesn’t report small groups, so no school is ranked to the place.
- Boards and systems. Public and Catholic boards are both publicly funded here, in English and in French; an independent school answers to no board.
- The year. The province’s school list, 2024-25.
Questions about schools in Dorchester
How many schools are there in Dorchester?
5 are inside the town itself and 7 lie within 3 km of its edge.
Is there a French-language school in Dorchester?
Not within 3 km of Dorchester. The French-language board still serves families here.
Which boards run the schools in Dorchester?
Thames Valley DSB (7), Avon Maitland DSB (3) and London District Catholic School Board (2), with each one’s schools in brackets.
How do I get a place at a school in Dorchester?
Registration is with the board, which assigns the school for the home address.
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).