Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0Hamilton’s 13 schools with results spread wide in Ontario, 3 in the top two fifths and 4 in the bottom two
The highest results belong to Notre Dame Catholic Elementary School and St. Michael Catholic Elementary School. No French-language school is among them; in Ontario, 10% of schools are. 5,320 students attend the 12 elementary schools, 2 secondary schools and 1 alternative or adult school in or within 3 km of Hamilton.
How Hamilton’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 | 11 | 79% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 11 | 73% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 11 | 68% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 11 | 86% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 11 | 88% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 11 | 44% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 2 | 55% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 2 | 78% | 85% |
On Grade 6 math the area trails, 44% against 51% in Ontario. On 3 of 8 measures the area beats the provincial middle; on 2 it trails. The three-year changes lean upward at 6 schools and downward at 4.
Every school’s results (13)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 82% · G3 writing 88% · G3 math 76% · G6 reading 96% · G6 writing 92% · G6 math 65% | Second fifth |
| St. Michael Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 89% · G3 writing 83% · G3 math 72% · G6 reading 94% · G6 writing 94% · G6 math 44% | Second fifth |
| Camborne Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 77% · G3 writing 73% · G3 math 73% · G6 reading 96% · G6 writing 96% · G6 math 54% | Second fifth |
| Burnham Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 87% · G3 writing 74% · G3 math 68% · G6 reading 81% · G6 writing 83% · G6 math 56% | Middle fifth |
| Baltimore Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 79% · G3 writing 84% · G3 math 55% · G6 reading 83% · G6 writing 90% · G6 math 37% | Middle fifth |
| C R Gummow Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 83% · G3 writing 65% · G3 math 59% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 88% · G6 math 53% | Middle fifth |
| Merwin Greer Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 81% · G3 writing 62% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 80% · G6 writing 80% · G6 math 35% | Middle fifth |
| Terry Fox Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 75% · G3 writing 78% · G3 math 62% · G6 reading 86% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 43% | Middle fifth |
| Beatrice Strong Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 70% · G3 writing 64% · G3 math 60% · G6 reading 85% · G6 writing 88% · G6 math 42% | Middle fifth |
| Cobourg Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 53% · OSSLT 81% | Fourth fifth |
| Plainville Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 54% · G3 writing 50% · G3 math 46% · G6 reading 96% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 46% | Fourth fifth |
| St. Joseph Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 65% · G3 writing 56% · G3 math 71% · G6 reading 80% · G6 writing 80% · G6 math 27% | Fourth fifth |
| St. Mary Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 57% · OSSLT 75% | Fourth fifth |
Ontario Ministry of Education, School Information Finder 2024–25 (EQAO results; N/R where groups are too small). Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Schooling in English and French around Hamilton
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.
Not one teaches 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.
Where the 15 schools in and around Hamilton 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.
Who runs Hamilton’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English public, English Catholic, French-language, and independent or other.
By the system they belong to: English public 11 and English Catholic 4.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
Which of the 2 boards runs which school
Every board or service centre with a school in the area, and its schools.
The biggest of the 2 is Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB: 11 schools.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kawartha Pine Ridge DSBCobourg, C R Gummow, Terry Fox, Beatrice Strong, Burnham, Baltimore, Plainville, Camborne … | English public | 11 | 3,970 |
| Peterborough Victoria Northum Clarington CDSBSt. Mary Catholic, St. Joseph Catholic, St. Michael Catholic, Notre Dame Catholic | English Catholic | 4 | 1,350 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How children get a place in Hamilton
Catholic schools
Ontario’s Catholic boards are publicly funded. Their elementary schools generally ask that a parent or the child be Catholic; their high schools are open to all students.
The neighbourhood school
A home address sets the designated school in each board’s attendance area. Registration is with the board; a school outside the area admits only where there is space.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 15 schools in and around Hamilton
High schools within reach of Hamilton
Secondary and all-grade schools within 15 km, by distance.
3 secondary schools are within 15 km: 2 English public and 1 English Catholic. 8.3 km away, St. Mary Catholic Secondary School is the nearest.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Peterborough Victoria Northum Clarington CDSB | English Catholic | Fourth fifth | 835 | 8.3 km |
| Cobourg Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 1,110 | 11 km |
| Port Hope High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB | English public | Bottom fifth | 220 | 13 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Alternative, adult and other schools around Hamilton
Other schooling here: adult and continuing education at Centre for Individual Studies Northumberland. Their cards ↑
The kinds as the provincial lists give them (alternative, adult and continuing education, online, provincial schools).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weston | 18,896 | 62 | 25,290 | 3 | 0.8 km |
| … | |||||
| Adjala-Tosorontio | 11,948 | 13 | 6,815 | 2 | 6.8 km |
| Morrisburg | 11,943 | 6 | 1,340 | 0 | 9.2 km |
| German Mills | 11,923 | 59 | 22,720 | 2 | 1.5 km |
| Fletchers Meadow North | 11,870 | 38 | 22,255 | 0 | 0.6 km |
| Hamilton | 11,810 | 15 | 5,320 | 0 | 8.5 km |
| South Cameron | 11,804 | 41 | 20,545 | 7 | 0.8 km |
| Mississauga Valleys | 11,799 | 58 | 26,050 | 1 | 1.3 km |
| Chapel Hill North | 11,715 | 38 | 16,525 | 17 | 1.6 km |
| Cardinal Creek | 11,676 | 42 | 19,805 | 20 | 1.3 km |
| … | |||||
| Raleigh | 7,113 | 50 | 22,690 | 4 | 0.9 km |
In 285 of the 383 others the count is higher. Of the 384, 283 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 Hamilton
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 15 | 0 | 4 | 8.5 km |
| Cobourg 9.5 km | 10 | 0 | 4 | 1.3 km |
| Port Hope 12 km | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1.1 km |
| Alnwick/Haldimand 13 km | 6 | 0 | 1 | 14 km |
It outnumbers its 3 neighbours on schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Each school is placed by its address point; those inside Hamilton or within 3 km of it are here.
- The kinds of school. Schools are grouped by what they teach: elementary, secondary, every grade, and the alternative, adult and online programs.
- What isn’t here. No province rates its schools by inspection, and enrolment covers one year (Ontario and Alberta only), so there is no trend.
- Bands, not ranks. Top fifth means a result among the best fifth of Ontario’s schools on that test; the card shows the average of a school’s fifths.
- The year. The 2024-25 list.
- Boards and systems. The board is the public body that runs a school; this province has English and French boards, each public or Catholic.
Questions about schools in Hamilton
Is there a French-language school in Hamilton?
Not in or within 3 km of Hamilton; the French-language board can name the nearest.
How many schools are there in Hamilton?
4 are inside the town itself and 11 lie within 3 km of its edge.
How do I get a place at a school in Hamilton?
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 Hamilton?
By number of schools: Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB (11) and Peterborough Victoria Northum Clarington CDSB (4).
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).