Photo: Tabercil · CC BY 3.04 school boards share Durham
Bluewater DSB leads with 8 schools, alongside Bruce-Grey CDSB, Upper Grand DSB and Wellington CDSB. On the tests, 3 of 12 schools land above the middle in Ontario, 6 under it. Within 3 km of Durham are 11 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools, teaching 4,190 students.
What stands out about Durham’s schools
Results on the rise
More of the results rose than fell over three years at 11 schools of the 12 with results, St Peter's & St Paul's Separate School, Dawnview Public School and Holy Family Separate School among them. Results ↓
No French-language school
None of the 13 schools here teaches in French; in Ontario, 10% of schools do. Language ↓
Every figure here sets the area’s schools beside the rest of its province.
Which of the 4 boards runs which school
The boards and their schools here.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluewater DSBJohn Diefenbaker Senior, Hanover Heights, Beavercrest, Spruce Ridge, Egremont, Dawnview, Normanby, John Diefenbaker Senior | English public | 8 | 2,505 |
| Bruce-Grey CDSBHoly Family Separate, St Peter's & St Paul's Separate | English Catholic | 2 | 545 |
| Upper Grand DSBWellington Heights, Victoria Cross | English public | 2 | 920 |
| Wellington CDSBSt Mary - Mount Forest Catholic | English Catholic | 1 | 220 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How Durham’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 | 10 | 83% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 10 | 60% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 10 | 67% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 10 | 86% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 10 | 85% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 10 | 36% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 2 | 49% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 2 | 83% | 85% |
On Grade 6 math the area trails, 36% against 51% in Ontario. On 2 of 8 measures the area beats the provincial middle; on 3 it trails.
Every school’s results (12)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| St Peter's & St Paul's Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 90% · G3 writing 90% · G3 math 70% · G6 reading 100% · G6 writing 88% · G6 math 47% | Second fifth |
| Dawnview Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 92% · G3 writing 67% · G3 math 83% · G6 reading 96% · G6 writing 96% · G6 math 28% | Second fifth |
| Holy Family Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 87% · G3 writing 70% · G3 math 70% · G6 reading 100% · G6 writing 82% · G6 math 44% | Second fifth |
| Egremont Community SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 84% · G3 writing 60% · G3 math 84% · G6 reading 79% · G6 writing 95% · G6 math 37% | Middle fifth |
| Beavercrest Community SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 81% · G3 writing 56% · G3 math 66% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 89% · G6 math 32% | Middle fifth |
| Normanby Community SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 86% · G3 writing 86% · G3 math 68% · G6 reading 69% · G6 writing 88% · G6 math 19% | Middle fifth |
| John Diefenbaker Senior SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 54% · OSSLT 79% | Fourth fifth |
| Victoria Cross Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 79% · G3 writing 54% · G3 math 61% · G6 reading 85% · G6 writing 66% · G6 math 38% | Fourth fifth |
| Wellington Heights Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 43% · OSSLT 86% | Fourth fifth |
| Spruce Ridge Community SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 75% · G3 writing 50% · G3 math 54% · G6 reading 87% · G6 writing 74% · G6 math 28% | Fourth fifth |
| St Mary - Mount Forest Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 74% · G3 writing 52% · G3 math 56% · G6 reading 62% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 35% | Fourth fifth |
| Hanover Heights Community SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 65% · G3 writing 60% · G3 math 54% · G6 reading 68% · G6 writing 70% · G6 math 36% | Fourth 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 13 schools in and around Durham are
Each pin is a school, coloured by the system that runs it, sized by its students where the province publishes them.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Durham
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.
There is no French-language school among them.
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 Durham’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 10 and English Catholic 3.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Durham
The neighbourhood school
Each school serves a defined area. A place elsewhere is possible when that school has room.
Catholic schools
A Catholic elementary school usually asks for a Catholic parent or a baptized child; a Catholic high school admits all.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 13 schools in and around Durham
High schools within reach of Durham
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
John Diefenbaker Senior School, 14 km away, is the only secondary school within 15 km.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Diefenbaker Senior SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Bluewater DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 625 | 14 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Towns its size in Ontario
Towns of a similar population, with their schools in or within 3 km; described, not ranked.
| Town | Population | Schools | Students | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Park-Swansea | 22,970 | 100 | 39,920 | 8 | 1.7 km |
| … | |||||
| Southcrest | 14,477 | 44 | 25,550 | 2 | 0.2 km |
| Mount Forest | 14,407 | 6 | 1,900 | 0 | 13 km |
| Forest Heights | 14,369 | 33 | 15,530 | 1 | 1.2 km |
| South Glengarry | 14,355 | 18 | 4,725 | 6 | 3.2 km |
| Durham | 14,355 | 13 | 4,190 | 0 | 14 km |
| Ridgehill / Armbro Heights | 14,321 | 51 | 24,390 | 0 | 0.2 km |
| Chapel Hill South | 14,278 | 39 | 16,855 | 21 | 1.5 km |
| Hickory Woods | 14,247 | 42 | 19,070 | 4 | 1.7 km |
| Junction Area | 14,205 | 98 | 36,500 | 6 | 0.7 km |
| … | |||||
| Carleton Heights-Courtland Park | 8,621 | 67 | 28,835 | 12 | 0.6 km |
317 out of 385 comparable towns have more schools. Of the 386, 301 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 Durham
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | 13 | 0 | 3 | 14 km |
| Hanover 15 km | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 km |
No neighbour of the 1 counts more schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The year. 2024-25, the latest open list.
- Boards and systems. English and French, public and Catholic: the board decides the system, and the address decides the school.
- What isn’t here. There are no inspection ratings to show, and a single year of enrolment gives no trend.
- 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.
- Which schools count. Counted: Durham’s own schools and any within 3 km of its edge.
- 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.
Questions about schools in Durham
How do I get a place at a school in Durham?
Register with the board that runs the school: the address decides the designated school in each system, and the board can say which one it is.
Which boards run the schools in Durham?
Bluewater DSB (8), Bruce-Grey CDSB (2), Upper Grand DSB (2) and Wellington CDSB (1), with each one’s schools in brackets.
How many schools are there in Durham?
3 in the town, 10 just beyond it, within 3 km.
Is there a French-language school in Durham?
There is none in or near Durham (within 3 km); the French-language board covers the area from elsewhere.
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).