Photo: Andrea_44 from Leamington, Ontario , Canada · CC BY 2.0The schools around Essex answer to 3 boards
Most belong to Greater Essex County DSB (4); Windsor-Essex CDSB and Conseil scolaire catholique Providence run the remainder. Of its 7 tested schools, 2 sit in the top two fifths in Ontario and 1 in the bottom two. Taken together, Essex and its 3 km edge hold 6 elementary schools and 1 secondary school for 2,715 students.
What stands out about Essex’s schools
Results on the rise
More of the results rose than fell over three years at 5 schools of the 7 with results, Colchester North Public School, Holy Name Catholic School and École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Ursule among them. Results ↓
The strongest results
Top of the area: Colchester North Public School (elementary), its results in the top fifth in Ontario. Results ↓
The comparisons are with the province’s schools, never across provinces.
Which of the 3 boards runs which school
Every board or service centre with a school in the area, and its schools.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Essex County DSBEssex District, Essex, Harrow, Colchester North | English public | 4 | 1,915 |
| Windsor-Essex CDSBHoly Name, St Anthony | English Catholic | 2 | 600 |
| Conseil scolaire catholique ProvidenceSainte-Ursule | French Catholic | 1 | 200 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How Essex’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 A−: 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 | 6 | 80% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 6 | 71% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 6 | 68% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 6 | 86% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 6 | 88% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 6 | 52% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 1 | 63% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 1 | 79% | 85% |
On Grade 9 math the area runs ahead, 63% against 55% in Ontario. Of 8 measures, 4 sit above the province’s middle and 1 below.
Every school’s results (7)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Colchester North Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 100% · G3 writing 95% · G3 math 100% · G6 reading 100% · G6 writing 97% · G6 math 71% | Top fifth |
| Holy Name Catholic SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 74% · G3 writing 80% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 97% · G6 writing 92% · G6 math 64% | Second fifth |
| St Anthony Catholic SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 86% · G3 writing 62% · G3 math 67% · G6 reading 85% · G6 writing 95% · G6 math 45% | Middle fifth |
| École élémentaire catholique Sainte-UrsuleElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 94% · G3 writing 88% · G3 math 100% · G6 reading 82% · G6 writing 71% · G6 math 47% | Middle fifth |
| Essex District High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 63% · OSSLT 79% | Middle fifth |
| Essex Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 65% · G3 writing 50% · G3 math 60% · G6 reading 83% · G6 writing 83% · G6 math 56% | Middle fifth |
| Harrow Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 65% · G3 writing 62% · G3 math 61% · G6 reading 86% · G6 writing 77% · G6 math 41% | 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 7 schools in and around Essex are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Essex
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.
Conseil scolaire catholique Providence runs the public French-language schools; all 1 are École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Ursule.
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 Essex’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English public, English Catholic, French-language, and independent or other.
Counted by who runs them: English public 4, English Catholic 2 and French-language 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Essex
The neighbourhood school
Each school serves a defined area. A place elsewhere is possible when that school has room.
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 funds the Catholic system in full; its high schools are open to all, its elementary schools mostly to Catholic families.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 7 schools in and around Essex
High schools within reach of Essex
Secondary and all-grade schools within 15 km, by distance.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 2: 2 English public. The nearest is Essex District High School, 13 km away.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex District High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Greater Essex County DSB | English public | Middle fifth | 695 | 13 km |
| Erie Migration District Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Greater Essex County DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 730 | 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadowvale | 37,821 | 54 | 27,150 | 5 | 0.8 km |
| … | |||||
| Owen Sound | 24,075 | 10 | 5,435 | 2 | 0.6 km |
| Newtonbrook West | 23,978 | 63 | 30,795 | 2 | 0.7 km |
| Huntsville | 23,948 | 7 | 2,890 | 0 | 1.3 km |
| Port Perry | 23,928 | 9 | 4,470 | 0 | 3.6 km |
| Essex | 23,872 | 7 | 2,715 | 1 | 13 km |
| Waterdown | 23,858 | 14 | 7,070 | 0 | 1 km |
| Etobicoke City Centre | 23,856 | 72 | 32,310 | 2 | 1.3 km |
| Brockville | 23,720 | 15 | 3,820 | 3 | 0.3 km |
| Islington | 23,659 | 59 | 28,335 | 2 | 1.3 km |
| … | |||||
| Ridgehill / Armbro Heights | 14,321 | 51 | 24,390 | 0 | 0.2 km |
243 of 256 similar towns count more schools. 205 of 257 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 Essex
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex | 7 | 1 | 3 | 13 km |
| Kingsville 13 km | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0.9 km |
| Amherstburg 16 km | 11 | 3 | 6 | 1.4 km |
The neighbour with most schools is Amherstburg (11).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Bands, not ranks. Fifths are worked out among every Ontario school with a result on that measure, then averaged per school.
- What isn’t here. Inspection reports with ratings don’t exist here, and the lists give enrolment for one year at most.
- Boards and systems. English and French, public and Catholic: the board decides the system, and the address decides the school.
- The year. The province’s school list, 2024-25.
- The kinds of school. Kindergarten to Grade 8 is elementary, Grade 9 to 12 secondary, though the split varies by province and board.
- Which schools count. Each school is placed by its address point; those inside Essex or within 3 km of it are here.
Questions about schools in Essex
How many schools are there in Essex?
Every one of them, 7, is inside the town.
Is there a French-language school in Essex?
Yes: École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Ursule, the French-language schools here.
Which boards run the schools in Essex?
By number of schools: Greater Essex County DSB (4), Windsor-Essex CDSB (2) and Conseil scolaire catholique Providence (1).
How do I get a place at a school in Essex?
Choose a system, then register with its board; the address decides the school.
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).