Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 2.5Teaching in French: 2 of Espanola’s 5 schools
CSDC du Nouvel-Ontario runs them: École élémentaire catholique La Renaissance and École secondaire catholique La Renaissance. Of the 5 with results, 4 sit in the lower two fifths in Ontario. Counting a 3 km margin, Espanola has 3 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools, for 1,205 students.
What stands out about Espanola’s schools
More Catholic schools
Catholic schools are 3 of 5 here, above the 34% in Ontario, under CSDC du Nouvel-Ontario and Huron-Superior CDSB. Who runs them ↓
Several boards
The area’s schools come under 3 boards, Rainbow DSB, CSDC du Nouvel-Ontario and Huron-Superior CDSB. The boards ↓
Results on the rise
More of the results rose than fell over three years at 5 schools of the 5 with results, A B Ellis Public School, École secondaire catholique La Renaissance and École élémentaire catholique La Renaissance among them. Results ↓
The comparisons are with the province’s schools, never across provinces.
Schooling in English and French around Espanola
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.
CSDC du Nouvel-Ontario runs the French-language ones: École élémentaire catholique La Renaissance and École secondaire catholique La Renaissance.
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 Espanola’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 C−: 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 | 3 | 59% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 3 | 41% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 3 | 41% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 3 | 79% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 3 | 75% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 3 | 46% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 2 | 38% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 2 | 78% | 85% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is Grade 3 writing: 41% here, against 65% in Ontario. 0 measures above the provincial middle, 8 below, out of 8.
Every school’s results (5)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| A B Ellis Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 92% · G3 writing 71% · G3 math 70% · G6 reading 79% · G6 writing 79% · G6 math 46% | Middle fifth |
| École secondaire catholique La RenaissanceSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 50% · OSSLT 81% | Fourth fifth |
| École élémentaire catholique La RenaissanceElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 14% · G3 writing 14% · G3 math 38% · G6 reading 79% · G6 writing 68% · G6 math 53% | Bottom fifth |
| Sacred Heart Catholic SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 59% · G3 writing 41% · G3 math 41% · G6 reading 65% · G6 writing 75% · G6 math 30% | Bottom fifth |
| Espanola High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 26% · OSSLT 75% | 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 5 schools in and around Espanola are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
Points from the provincial lists.
Who runs Espanola’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English public, English Catholic, French-language, and independent or other.
By system, they split: English public 2, English Catholic 1 and French-language 2.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
The 3 boards that run schools here
Each board’s schools in the area, largest first.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow DSBEspanola, A B Ellis | English public | 2 | 765 |
| CSDC du Nouvel-OntarioLa Renaissance, La Renaissance | French Catholic | 2 | 185 |
| Huron-Superior CDSBSacred Heart | English Catholic | 1 | 255 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How children get a place in Espanola
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
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
No application round, no lottery: the address fixes the school, and the board handles the paperwork.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 5 schools in and around Espanola
High schools within reach of Espanola
The high schools a family here could reach, within 15 km.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 2: 1 French Catholic and 1 English public. École secondaire catholique La Renaissance lies closest, 0.7 km from the centre.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| École secondaire catholique La RenaissanceSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CSDC du Nouvel-Ontario | French Catholic | Fourth fifth | – | 0.7 km |
| Espanola High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Rainbow DSB | English public | Bottom fifth | 505 | 1.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Park | 8,781 | 17 | 10,745 | 1 | 2.3 km |
| … | |||||
| Countryside | 5,595 | 32 | 21,240 | 1 | 1.2 km |
| Gananoque | 5,568 | 4 | 915 | 0 | 0.6 km |
| West Lorne | 5,566 | 3 | 865 | 0 | 3.1 km |
| Huron South | 5,555 | 22 | 12,925 | 1 | 1.4 km |
| Espanola | 5,504 | 5 | 1,205 | 2 | 0.7 km |
| Stirling | 5,489 | 1 | 690 | 0 | 16 km |
| Island Park-Wellington Village | 5,486 | 36 | 10,600 | 13 | 2 km |
| Southwold | 5,473 | 9 | 5,050 | 0 | 11 km |
| Garner | 5,456 | 12 | 6,855 | 0 | 2.3 km |
| … | |||||
| Mill Courtland Woodside Park | 3,319 | 43 | 22,315 | 0 | 0.8 km |
More schools than here: 225 of the 286 others. A French-language school is within reach in 180 of the 287.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Espanola
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espanola | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.7 km |
| Sables-Spanish Rivers 18 km | 3 | 1 | 2 | 19 km |
It outnumbers its 1 neighbours on schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Schools inside Espanola and those within 3 km of its outline: a family nearby would weigh them all.
- The kinds of school. Kindergarten to Grade 8 is elementary, Grade 9 to 12 secondary, though the split varies by province and board.
- Bands, not ranks. The fifths are of schools, not students: a small school counts as much as a large one.
- 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. 2024-25, the latest open list.
- Boards and systems. Every public school has a board: English or French, and in this province public or Catholic too. Independent schools have none.
Questions about schools in Espanola
How many schools are there in Espanola?
All 5 sit within the town’s own boundary.
Is there a French-language school in Espanola?
Yes, there are French-language schools: École élémentaire catholique La Renaissance and École secondaire catholique La Renaissance.
How do I get a place at a school in Espanola?
Each board registers its own students; its website gives the school for an address.
Which boards run the schools in Espanola?
By number of schools: Rainbow DSB (2), CSDC du Nouvel-Ontario (2) and Huron-Superior CDSB (1).
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).