Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0English or French, public or Catholic: Thunder Bay, Unorganized’s schools come under 6 boards
The largest is Superior-Greenstone DSB, with 7; beside it are Lakehead DSB, Superior North CDSB and CS public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario. Of 22 schools, 5 teach in French; in Ontario, 10% do. The 3 km around Thunder Bay, Unorganized counts 18 elementary schools and 4 secondary schools, 1,610 students between them.
What stands out about Thunder Bay, Unorganized’s schools
Results on both sides
1 of the 11 tested schools sit above the middle in Ontario, 6 below it; Holy Angels Separate School, École secondaire Château-Jeunesse and Gorham and Ware Community Public School score best. Results ↓
Results on the rise
At 6 tested schools out of 11, the three-year changes lean upward; École secondaire Château-Jeunesse, Margaret Twomey Public School and George O'Neill Public School gained most often. Results ↓
Small elementary schools
Elementary schools here average 119 students, against 365 in Ontario. Every school ↓
Each finding compares the town’s schools with every school in its province.
6 boards, school by 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superior-Greenstone DSBMarathon, Nipigon Red Rock District, Margaret Twomey, George O'Neill, Dorion, Marjorie Mills, Schreiber | English public | 7 | 645 |
| Lakehead DSBGorham and Ware Community, Whitefish Valley, Armstrong, Bernier-Stokes | English public | 4 | 485 |
| Superior North CDSBSt Edward, Holy Angels Separate, Our Lady of Fatima Separate, St Hilary | English Catholic | 4 | 335 |
| CS public du Grand Nord de l'OntarioChâteau-Jeunesse, publique Cité-Supérieure, publique de Marathon, Cité-Supérieure | French public | 4 | 55 |
| Keewatin-Patricia DSBSavant Lake, Upsala | English public | 2 | – |
| CSDC des Aurores boréalesNotre-Dame-de-Fatima | French Catholic | 1 | 90 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
Schooling in English and French around Thunder Bay, Unorganized
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.
The French-language schools are École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima, École secondaire Château-Jeunesse, École publique de Marathon and École publique Cité-Supérieure, run by CSDC des Aurores boréales and CS public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario.
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 Thunder Bay, Unorganized’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 D: 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 | 7 | 73% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 7 | 64% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 7 | 64% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 6 | 71% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 6 | 71% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 6 | 40% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 3 | 24% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 3 | 64% | 85% |
Furthest from the provincial middle is Grade 9 math: 24% here, against 55% in Ontario. Above the middle on 0, below on 6: that is the 8 measures.
Every school’s results (11)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Holy Angels Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 80% · G3 writing 80% · G3 math 60% · G6 reading not reported · G6 writing not reported · G6 math not reported | Second fifth |
| École secondaire Château-JeunesseSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 42% · OSSLT 100% | Middle fifth |
| Gorham and Ware Community Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 76% · G3 writing 76% · G3 math 67% · G6 reading 85% · G6 writing 90% · G6 math 50% | Middle fifth |
| Margaret Twomey Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 73% · G3 writing 64% · G3 math 64% · G6 reading 92% · G6 writing 83% · G6 math 50% | Middle fifth |
| George O'Neill Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 87% · G3 writing 73% · G3 math 73% · G6 reading 73% · G6 writing 60% · G6 math 13% | Middle fifth |
| Whitefish Valley Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 69% · G3 writing 56% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 69% · G6 writing 75% · G6 math 38% | Fourth fifth |
| Our Lady of Fatima Separate SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 25% · G3 writing 15% · G3 math 54% · G6 reading not reported · G6 writing not reported · G6 math not reported | Bottom fifth |
| Armstrong Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 58% · G3 writing 33% · G3 math 42% · G6 reading 50% · G6 writing 67% · G6 math 42% | Bottom fifth |
| Marathon High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 24% · OSSLT 46% | Bottom fifth |
| Nipigon Red Rock District High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 11% · OSSLT 64% | Bottom fifth |
| St Edward SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading not reported · G3 writing not reported · G3 math not reported · G6 reading 64% · G6 writing 55% · G6 math 9% | 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 22 schools in and around Thunder Bay, Unorganized are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Who runs Thunder Bay, Unorganized’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 13, English Catholic 4 and French-language 5.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Thunder Bay, Unorganized
The neighbourhood school
The neighbourhood school is the one the board designates for the address; choice beyond it depends on space.
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.
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 22 schools in and around Thunder Bay, Unorganized
Towns its size in Ontario
Similar-sized towns and their schools within 3 km, by population.
| Town | Population | Schools | Students | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendover | 10,896 | 11 | 1,255 | 11 | 1.6 km |
| … | |||||
| Lowertown East | 6,996 | 37 | 11,085 | 14 | 0.2 km |
| Perth | 6,972 | 8 | 2,440 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Parkhill | 6,864 | 6 | 900 | 0 | 1.6 km |
| Hawthorn Meadows - Sheffield Glen | 6,838 | 35 | 15,390 | 10 | 1.5 km |
| Thunder Bay, Unorganized | 6,831 | 22 | 1,610 | 5 | 22 km |
| Lucan | 6,827 | 2 | 970 | 0 | 18 km |
| The Estates of Rainbow Creek | 6,822 | 19 | 8,855 | 0 | 2.2 km |
| Riverdale West | 6,804 | 19 | 11,755 | 0 | 1.5 km |
| Beaverbrook | 6,762 | 24 | 13,845 | 3 | 0.4 km |
| … | |||||
| Lake of Bays | 4,105 | 1 | 140 | 0 | 14 km |
More schools are within reach in 181 of the 317 other towns. 214 towns of the 318 have a French-language school.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
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. Missing: inspection ratings (no province gives them), enrolment trends and Ontario’s private schools.
- The year. The open list of 2024-25.
- Boards and systems. English and French, public and Catholic: the board decides the system, and the address decides the school.
- Which schools count. A school counts when it sits inside Thunder Bay, Unorganized or less than 3 km beyond its edge.
- The kinds of school. An all-grade school teaches from kindergarten through high school; elementary and secondary schools split those years.
Questions about schools in Thunder Bay, Unorganized
How many schools are there in Thunder Bay, Unorganized?
Inside the town there are 9; another 13 sit within 3 km.
Is there a French-language school in Thunder Bay, Unorganized?
Yes, schooling in French is at École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima, École secondaire Château-Jeunesse, École publique de Marathon and École publique Cité-Supérieure.
How do I get a place at a school in Thunder Bay, Unorganized?
Ask the board which school serves your street, then register through it.
Which boards run the schools in Thunder Bay, Unorganized?
By number of schools: Superior-Greenstone DSB (7), Lakehead DSB (4), Superior North CDSB (4), CS public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario (4) and Keewatin-Patricia DSB (2).
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).