Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.04 of the 12 schools around Penetanguishene teach in French
Those are École élémentaire Saint-Joseph, École secondaire Le Caron and ÉÉC Saint-Louis (CS Viamonde and CS catholique MonAvenir). English and French, public and Catholic boards all run schools here. Taken together, Penetanguishene and its 3 km edge hold 10 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools for 3,660 students.
What stands out about Penetanguishene’s schools
Results below the middle
6 of the 10 tested schools score in the lower two fifths in Ontario, among them Canadian Martyrs Catholic School, James Keating Public School and Mundy's Bay Elementary Public School. Results ↓
Results on the rise
At 6 tested schools out of 10, the three-year changes lean upward; Burkevale Protestant Separate School Separate School, École secondaire Le Caron and École élémentaire Saint-Joseph gained most often. Results ↓
Each finding compares the town’s schools with every school in its province.
Schooling in English and French around Penetanguishene
English, French and other languages of instruction, beside the mix in Ontario.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Ontario.
CS Viamonde and CS catholique MonAvenir runs the French-language ones: École élémentaire Saint-Joseph, École secondaire Le Caron, ÉÉC Saint-Louis and École élémentaire Le Caron.
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.
Which of the 5 boards runs which school
Each board’s schools in the area, largest first.
The four systems cover the same streets, so the nearest school may not be the one a family’s system offers: English or French, public or Catholic, each has its own board.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simcoe County DSBGeorgian Bay District, Mundy's Bay Elementary, James Keating, Bayview | English public | 4 | 2,245 |
| CS ViamondeSaint-Joseph, Le Caron, Le Caron | French public | 3 | 400 |
| Simcoe Muskoka CDSBMonsignor Castex Separate, Canadian Martyrs, St Ann's Separate | English Catholic | 3 | 585 |
| Penetanguishene PSSBBurkevale Protestant Separate School Separate | English public | 1 | 345 |
| CS catholique MonAvenirÉÉC Saint-Louis | French Catholic | 1 | 85 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How Penetanguishene’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 | 68% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 8 | 56% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 8 | 46% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 8 | 79% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 8 | 72% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 8 | 41% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 2 | 51% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 2 | 91% | 85% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is Grade 3 math: 46% here, against 65% in Ontario. Above the middle on 1, below on 7: that is the 8 measures.
Every school’s results (10)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Burkevale Protestant Separate School Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 89% · G3 writing 82% · G3 math 87% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 100% · G6 math 57% | Second fifth |
| École secondaire Le CaronSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 59% · OSSLT 100% | Second fifth |
| École élémentaire Saint-JosephElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 69% · G3 writing 61% · G3 math 75% · G6 reading 92% · G6 writing 69% · G6 math 69% | Middle fifth |
| St Ann's Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 73% · G3 writing 64% · G3 math 36% · G6 reading 92% · G6 writing 92% · G6 math 25% | Middle fifth |
| Monsignor Castex Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 81% · G3 writing 71% · G3 math 57% · G6 reading 68% · G6 writing 68% · G6 math 37% | Fourth fifth |
| Georgian Bay District Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 42% · OSSLT 82% | Fourth fifth |
| Bayview Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 47% · G3 writing 50% · G3 math 41% · G6 reading 81% · G6 writing 71% · G6 math 45% | Fourth fifth |
| Mundy's Bay Elementary Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 67% · G3 writing 36% · G3 math 47% · G6 reading 76% · G6 writing 76% · G6 math 45% | Fourth fifth |
| James Keating Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 47% · G3 writing 29% · G3 math 44% · G6 reading 72% · G6 writing 73% · G6 math 37% | Bottom fifth |
| Canadian Martyrs Catholic SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 55% · G3 writing 23% · G3 math 23% · G6 reading 72% · G6 writing 67% · G6 math 0% | 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 Penetanguishene are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
Points from the provincial lists.
Who runs Penetanguishene’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English public, English Catholic, French-language, and independent or other.
Their systems: English public 5, English Catholic 3 and French-language 4.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Penetanguishene
The neighbourhood school
No application round, no lottery: the address fixes the school, and the board handles the paperwork.
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.
French-language schools
Section 23 rights-holders, francophone parents or those schooled in French in Canada, have a place; others apply to the board’s committee.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 12 schools in and around Penetanguishene
High schools within reach of Penetanguishene
Every secondary school within 15 km of the town, nearest first.
3 secondary schools are within 15 km: 1 French public, 1 English public and 1 English Catholic. École secondaire Le Caron is closest, at 1.8 km.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| École secondaire Le CaronSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CS Viamonde | French public | Second fifth | 100 | 1.8 km |
| Georgian Bay District Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Simcoe County DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 1,110 | 4.6 km |
| St Theresa's Separate SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Simcoe Muskoka CDSB | English Catholic | Fourth fifth | 730 | 6.4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morningside | 17,708 | 78 | 28,055 | 1 | 1.2 km |
| … | |||||
| Dufferin Grove | 11,276 | 99 | 34,620 | 7 | 0.3 km |
| Cabbagetown-South St.James Town | 11,205 | 88 | 29,175 | 6 | 0.5 km |
| Princess-Rosethorn | 11,177 | 64 | 28,930 | 3 | 1.3 km |
| Thornbury | 11,162 | 1 | 620 | 0 | 13 km |
| Penetanguishene | 11,141 | 12 | 3,660 | 4 | 1.9 km |
| Laurentian | 11,133 | 38 | 14,405 | 9 | 0.5 km |
| Whitehaven - Woodpark - Glabar Park | 11,111 | 46 | 16,930 | 9 | 1 km |
| Sheridan | 11,110 | 41 | 20,000 | 1 | 0.3 km |
| Snelgrove | 11,109 | 34 | 21,780 | 1 | 3.1 km |
| … | |||||
| Old Ottawa South | 6,704 | 54 | 23,490 | 12 | 1.6 km |
More schools are within reach in 293 of the 377 other towns. 277 towns of the 378 have 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 Penetanguishene
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
The neighbour with most schools is Midland (15).
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Boards and systems. A public school belongs to a board of one language; in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan a board is also public or Catholic. An independent school runs itself.
- The year. The open list of 2024-25.
- What isn’t here. Provinces don’t grade schools by inspection; class sizes and enrolment over time aren’t in the open lists.
- 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.
- 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.
- Which schools count. Counted: Penetanguishene’s own schools and any within 3 km of its edge.
Questions about schools in Penetanguishene
Which boards run the schools in Penetanguishene?
By number of schools: Simcoe County DSB (4), CS Viamonde (3), Simcoe Muskoka CDSB (3), Penetanguishene PSSB (1) and CS catholique MonAvenir (1).
How do I get a place at a school in Penetanguishene?
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.
How many schools are there in Penetanguishene?
Inside the town there are 8; another 4 sit within 3 km.
Is there a French-language school in Penetanguishene?
Yes, schooling in French is at École élémentaire Saint-Joseph, École secondaire Le Caron, ÉÉC Saint-Louis and École élémentaire Le Caron.
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).