Photo: maar345 · CC BY 2.0Renfrew leans Catholic: 4 of its 8 schools, where in Ontario it is 34%
Catholic schooling here comes from Renfrew County CDSB. Of its 6 tested schools, 2 sit in the top two fifths in Ontario and 3 in the bottom two. In or within 3 km of Renfrew: 6 elementary schools and 2 secondary schools, with 1,905 students.
What stands out about Renfrew’s schools
Results on the rise
At 4 tested schools out of 6, the three-year changes lean upward; St Thomas the Apostle Separate School, Our Lady of Fatima Separate School and St Joseph's High School gained most often. Results ↓
No French-language school
For schooling in French, families look beyond these 8 schools: in Ontario, 10% of schools teach in it. Language ↓
Small elementary schools
At 181 students on average, against 365 in Ontario, the elementary schools are small. Every school ↓
The strongest results
Top of the area: St Thomas the Apostle Separate School (elementary), its results in the top fifth in Ontario. Results ↓
Every figure here sets the area’s schools beside the rest of its province.
Who runs Renfrew’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 4 and English Catholic 4.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How Renfrew’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 | 4 | 82% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 4 | 59% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 4 | 70% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 4 | 92% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 4 | 91% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 4 | 53% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 2 | 59% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 2 | 78% | 85% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is Grade 3 writing: 59% here, against 65% in Ontario. Above the middle on 5, below on 2: that is the 8 measures.
Every school’s results (6)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| St Thomas the Apostle Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 90% · G3 writing 90% · G3 math 90% · G6 reading 97% · G6 writing 94% · G6 math 64% | Top fifth |
| Our Lady of Fatima Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 90% · G3 writing 65% · G3 math 80% · G6 reading 90% · G6 writing 97% · G6 math 76% | Second fifth |
| St Joseph's High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 58% · OSSLT 87% | Middle fifth |
| Renfrew Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 59% · OSSLT 68% | Fourth fifth |
| Central Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 73% · G3 writing 53% · G3 math 60% · G6 reading 83% · G6 writing 79% · G6 math 41% | Fourth fifth |
| Queen Elizabeth Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 55% · G3 writing 32% · G3 math 27% · G6 reading 94% · G6 writing 87% · G6 math 39% | 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 8 schools in and around Renfrew are
Every school as a pin, coloured by system; each opens its own page.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Renfrew
The language each school teaches in, against every school in Ontario.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Ontario.
None of them 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.
Which of the 2 boards runs which school
The boards and their schools here.
Renfrew County CDSB has 4 of the area’s schools, the most of the 2 boards.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renfrew County CDSBSt Joseph's, St Thomas the Apostle Separate, Our Lady of Fatima Separate, St. Joseph's Separate | English Catholic | 4 | 1,085 |
| Renfrew County DSBRenfrew, Queen Elizabeth, Central, Renfrew Collegiate Intermediate | English public | 4 | 820 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How children get a place in Renfrew
The neighbourhood school
Attendance zones do the sorting here. Inside the zone a child is in; outside it, the answer turns on how full the school is.
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 provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 8 schools in and around Renfrew
High schools within reach of Renfrew
Secondary and all-grade schools within 15 km, by distance.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 2: 1 English public and 1 English Catholic. The shortest trip is to Renfrew Collegiate Institute, 0.4 km.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renfrew Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Renfrew County DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 310 | 0.4 km |
| St Joseph's High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Renfrew County CDSB | English Catholic | Middle fifth | 510 | 1.3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rideaucrest - Davidson Heights | 13,998 | 35 | 20,775 | 8 | 2.2 km |
| … | |||||
| Pioneer Park | 8,781 | 17 | 10,745 | 1 | 2.3 km |
| Manotick | 8,770 | 21 | 9,355 | 5 | 3 km |
| Craig Henry - Manordale | 8,758 | 32 | 12,915 | 3 | 1.3 km |
| Hanover | 8,723 | 5 | 1,705 | 0 | 1 km |
| Renfrew | 8,721 | 8 | 1,905 | 0 | 0.4 km |
| Stanley Park | 8,721 | 37 | 18,535 | 2 | 1 km |
| Tavistock | 8,710 | 21 | 8,760 | 3 | 13 km |
| Carleton Heights-Courtland Park | 8,621 | 67 | 28,835 | 12 | 0.6 km |
| Puslinch | 8,577 | 37 | 18,145 | 1 | 4.1 km |
| … | |||||
| Crown Point East | 5,215 | 28 | 13,680 | 2 | 1.3 km |
In 303 of the 371 others the count is higher. A school in French is nearby in 258 towns of 372.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Renfrew
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renfrew | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0.4 km |
| Horton 8.3 km | 8 | 0 | 4 | 7.9 km |
| Admaston/Bromley 12 km | 12 | 0 | 5 | 12 km |
12 schools make Admaston/Bromley the best supplied neighbour.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Bands, not ranks. Ontario’s results are whole percentages with small groups left out, so the page gives fifths, not ranks.
- What isn’t here. Enrolment is a single year, where published at all, and no inspectorate rates schools.
- Boards and systems. English and French, public and Catholic: the board decides the system, and the address decides the school.
- The year. The open list of 2024-25.
- The kinds of school. Each school is elementary, secondary or all-grade by the grades it teaches; alternative, adult and online programs sit in a group of their own.
- Which schools count. Every school inside Renfrew’s outline or within 3 km of it, the rule used across the site.
Questions about schools in Renfrew
Is there a French-language school in Renfrew?
Not within 3 km of Renfrew. The French-language board still serves families here.
How many schools are there in Renfrew?
All 8 sit within the town’s own boundary.
Which boards run the schools in Renfrew?
By number of schools: Renfrew County CDSB (4) and Renfrew County DSB (4).
How do I get a place at a school in Renfrew?
The board’s school locator gives the designated school; registration is with the board or 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).