Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 3.04 school boards overlap in Waterloo, covering Ontario’s four systems
Waterloo Region DSB has 41 of them, and Waterloo CDSB, CS Viamonde and CS catholique MonAvenir share the others. On the tests, 21 of 52 schools land above the middle in Ontario, 18 under it. In or within 3 km of Waterloo: 50 elementary schools and 8 secondary schools, with 33,340 students.
What stands out about Waterloo’s schools
One big school
Resurrection Catholic Secondary School is the largest school here, with 1,920 students. Every school ↓
The strongest results
Top of the area: Laurelwood Public School (elementary), its results in the top fifth in Ontario. Results ↓
Each finding compares the town’s schools with every school in its province.
4 boards, school by school
Every board or service centre with a school in the area, and its schools.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo Region DSBCameron Heights, Laurel Heights, Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational, Forest Heights, Waterloo, Bluevale, Vista Hills, Laurelwood … | English public | 41 | 23,395 |
| Waterloo CDSBResurrection Catholic, St David Catholic, St Anne Catholic, St Agnes Catholic, St Dominic Savio Catholic, Holy Rosary Catholic, St Luke Catholic, St Paul Catholic … | English Catholic | 15 | 9,435 |
| CS ViamondeL'Harmonie | French public | 1 | 290 |
| CS catholique MonAvenirÉÉC Mère-Élisabeth-Bruyère | French Catholic | 1 | 220 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How Waterloo’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 | 44 | 77% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 44 | 67% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 44 | 69% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 44 | 88% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 44 | 85% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 44 | 53% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 8 | 70% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 8 | 88% | 85% |
The widest gap is on Grade 9 math, where the area’s schools reach 70% against 55% in Ontario. 4 measures above the provincial middle, 0 below, out of 8. The three-year changes lean upward at 23 schools and downward at 21.
Every school’s results (52)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| Laurelwood Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 88% · G3 writing 82% · G3 math 90% · G6 reading 97% · G6 writing 97% · G6 math 88% | Top fifth |
| Northlake Woods Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 87% · G3 writing 84% · G3 math 93% · G6 reading 97% · G6 writing 97% · G6 math 78% | Top fifth |
| Abraham Erb Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 81% · G3 writing 83% · G3 math 79% · G6 reading 98% · G6 writing 95% · G6 math 85% | Top fifth |
| Mary Johnston Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 83% · G3 writing 79% · G3 math 81% · G6 reading 98% · G6 writing 98% · G6 math 72% | Top fifth |
| Vista Hills Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 94% · G3 writing 89% · G3 math 88% · G6 reading 96% · G6 writing 91% · G6 math 74% | Top fifth |
| St Matthew Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 86% · G3 writing 78% · G3 math 83% · G6 reading 98% · G6 writing 95% · G6 math 72% | Top fifth |
| Bluevale Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 75% · OSSLT 88% | Second fifth |
| Cameron Heights Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 74% · OSSLT 90% | Second fifth |
| John Darling Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 88% · G3 writing 56% · G3 math 80% · G6 reading 100% · G6 writing 100% · G6 math 90% | Second fifth |
| Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 73% · OSSLT 88% | Second fifth |
| St David Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 67% · OSSLT 97% | Second fifth |
| Millen Woods Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 78% · G3 writing 78% · G3 math 88% · G6 reading 94% · G6 writing 100% · G6 math 79% | Second fifth |
| N A MacEachern Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 97% · G3 writing 78% · G3 math 81% · G6 reading 90% · G6 writing 97% · G6 math 55% | Second fifth |
| Lester B Pearson Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 75% · G3 writing 62% · G3 math 73% · G6 reading 95% · G6 writing 95% · G6 math 68% | Second fifth |
| St Luke Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 82% · G3 writing 68% · G3 math 82% · G6 reading 88% · G6 writing 98% · G6 math 73% | Second fifth |
| École élémentaire L'HarmonieElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 92% · G3 writing 69% · G3 math 81% · G6 reading 90% · G6 writing 84% · G6 math 79% | Second fifth |
| ÉÉC Mère-Élisabeth-BruyèreElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 84% · G3 writing 68% · G3 math 73% · G6 reading 95% · G6 writing 91% · G6 math 68% | Second fifth |
| Laurel Heights Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 83% · OSSLT 87% | Second fifth |
| St Dominic Savio Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 78% · G3 writing 67% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 93% · G6 writing 100% · G6 math 71% | Second fifth |
| Winston Churchill Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 81% · G3 writing 81% · G3 math 65% · G6 reading 88% · G6 writing 97% · G6 math 56% | Second fifth |
| Empire Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 86% · G3 writing 70% · G3 math 70% · G6 reading 87% · G6 writing 90% · G6 math 52% | Second fifth |
| Conestogo Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 93% · G3 writing 86% · G3 math 86% · G6 reading 77% · G6 writing 77% · G6 math 55% | Middle fifth |
| Resurrection Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 57% · OSSLT 90% | Middle fifth |
| Edna Staebler Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 76% · G3 writing 71% · G3 math 75% · G6 reading 86% · G6 writing 88% · G6 math 53% | Middle fifth |
| Sir Edgar Bauer Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 76% · G3 writing 78% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 86% · G6 writing 78% · G6 math 60% | Middle fifth |
| St Mark Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 94% · G3 writing 91% · G3 math 91% · G6 reading 76% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 38% | Middle fifth |
| St Teresa Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 72% · G3 writing 64% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 86% · G6 writing 91% · G6 math 45% | Middle fifth |
| Westvale Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 82% · G3 writing 76% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 87% · G6 writing 84% · G6 math 42% | Middle fifth |
| Holy Rosary Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 71% · G3 writing 68% · G3 math 66% · G6 reading 92% · G6 writing 85% · G6 math 58% | Middle fifth |
| Lexington Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 77% · G3 writing 67% · G3 math 77% · G6 reading 88% · G6 writing 80% · G6 math 60% | Middle fifth |
| Keatsway Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 79% · G3 writing 69% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 84% · G6 writing 79% · G6 math 50% | Middle fifth |
| Sandhills Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 77% · G3 writing 69% · G3 math 67% · G6 reading 88% · G6 writing 80% · G6 math 59% | Middle fifth |
| Suddaby Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 67% · G3 writing 58% · G3 math 58% · G6 reading 90% · G6 writing 89% · G6 math 58% | Middle fifth |
| Waterloo Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 57% · OSSLT 85% | Middle fifth |
| Elizabeth Ziegler Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 71% · G3 writing 60% · G3 math 48% · G6 reading 93% · G6 writing 86% · G6 math 47% | Fourth fifth |
| Forest Heights Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 48% · OSSLT 86% | Fourth fifth |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 71% · G3 writing 54% · G3 math 64% · G6 reading 83% · G6 writing 83% · G6 math 45% | Fourth fifth |
| Sandowne Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 73% · G3 writing 50% · G3 math 57% · G6 reading 78% · G6 writing 91% · G6 math 35% | Fourth fifth |
| St Agnes Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 80% · G3 writing 64% · G3 math 71% · G6 reading 73% · G6 writing 74% · G6 math 43% | Fourth fifth |
| St Anne Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 68% · G3 writing 53% · G3 math 55% · G6 reading 90% · G6 writing 82% · G6 math 45% | Fourth fifth |
| St Paul Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 72% · G3 writing 58% · G3 math 60% · G6 reading 88% · G6 writing 81% · G6 math 44% | Fourth fifth |
| Westmount Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 66% · G3 writing 59% · G3 math 57% · G6 reading 93% · G6 writing 87% · G6 math 38% | Fourth fifth |
| St Nicholas Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 71% · G3 writing 58% · G3 math 58% · G6 reading 90% · G6 writing 77% · G6 math 44% | Fourth fifth |
| J F Carmichael Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 72% · G3 writing 65% · G3 math 58% · G6 reading 70% · G6 writing 77% · G6 math 33% | Fourth fifth |
| Lincoln Heights Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 71% · G3 writing 64% · G3 math 50% · G6 reading 75% · G6 writing 75% · G6 math 47% | Fourth fifth |
| Bridgeport Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 51% · G3 writing 42% · G3 math 53% · G6 reading 70% · G6 writing 72% · G6 math 50% | Bottom fifth |
| Prueter Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 58% · G3 writing 60% · G3 math 50% · G6 reading 62% · G6 writing 67% · G6 math 17% | Bottom fifth |
| Southridge Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 61% · G3 writing 51% · G3 math 37% · G6 reading 69% · G6 writing 69% · G6 math 38% | Bottom fifth |
| Hillside Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 30% · G3 writing 15% · G3 math 15% · G6 reading 81% · G6 writing 72% · G6 math 19% | Bottom fifth |
| King Edward Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 55% · G3 writing 33% · G3 math 36% · G6 reading 77% · G6 writing 77% · G6 math 30% | Bottom fifth |
| St John Catholic Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 44% · G3 writing 34% · G3 math 39% · G6 reading 63% · G6 writing 63% · G6 math 43% | Bottom fifth |
| Cedarbrae Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–6 | G3 reading 21% · G3 writing 24% · G3 math 24% · G6 reading 76% · G6 writing 62% · G6 math 14% | 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 58 schools in and around Waterloo 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 Waterloo
English, French and other languages of instruction, beside the mix in Ontario.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Ontario.
École élémentaire L'Harmonie and ÉÉC Mère-Élisabeth-Bruyère teach in French; CS Viamonde and CS catholique MonAvenir runs the public ones among the 2.
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 Waterloo’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 41, English Catholic 15 and French-language 2.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Waterloo
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
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 neighbourhood school
Registration happens with the board, not the school; the board names the school for the address.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 58 schools in and around Waterloo
Show all 50 elementary schools
High schools within reach of Waterloo
Secondary and all-grade schools within 15 km, by distance.
17 secondary schools are within 15 km: 11 English public, 4 English Catholic, 1 French public and 1 French Catholic. First by distance comes Waterloo Collegiate Institute, at 0.7 km.
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Middle fifth | 1,480 | 0.7 km |
| St David Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo CDSB | English Catholic | Second fifth | 1,080 | 1.2 km |
| Bluevale Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Second fifth | 1,115 | 2.9 km |
| Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Second fifth | 1,650 | 3.1 km |
| Resurrection Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo CDSB | English Catholic | Middle fifth | 1,920 | 3.9 km |
| Laurel Heights Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Second fifth | 1,765 | 4.7 km |
| Cameron Heights Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Second fifth | 1,765 | 5.5 km |
| Forest Heights Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 1,555 | 5.6 km |
| Eastwood Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Fourth fifth | 1,270 | 7.2 km |
| St Mary's High SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo CDSB | English Catholic | Middle fifth | 2,240 | 8.2 km |
All 17 secondary schools
| School | Board | System | Band | Students | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand River Collegiate InstituteSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Middle fifth | 1,560 | 8.2 km |
| Huron Heights Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Second fifth | 1,455 | 11 km |
| École secondaire David Saint-JacquesSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CS Viamonde | French public | Top fifth | 105 | 11 km |
| Notre Dame Catholic Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo CDSB | English Catholic | – | – | 11 km |
| Elmira District Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Middle fifth | 1,305 | 13 km |
| ÉSC Père-René-de-GalinéeSecondary · Grades 9–12 | CS catholique MonAvenir | French Catholic | Top fifth | 495 | 14 km |
| Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | Waterloo Region DSB | English public | Middle fifth | 1,460 | 15 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Hill | 222,031 | 100 | 56,420 | 5 | 1 km |
| … | |||||
| Guelph | 160,760 | 54 | 24,520 | 2 | 1.1 km |
| Milton | 157,345 | 96 | 55,790 | 6 | 0.2 km |
| St. Catharines | 153,865 | 62 | 21,825 | 3 | 0.7 km |
| Kingston | 149,527 | 61 | 21,145 | 6 | 0.6 km |
| Waterloo | 142,450 | 58 | 33,340 | 2 | 0.7 km |
| Ajax | 141,111 | 67 | 35,990 | 4 | 1 km |
| Brantford | 123,521 | 50 | 20,085 | 1 | 1.2 km |
| Pickering | 118,378 | 87 | 41,425 | 6 | 1.5 km |
| Thunder Bay | 117,671 | 44 | 15,300 | 4 | 3 km |
| … | |||||
| Bolton | 90,201 | 86 | 48,920 | 2 | 5.5 km |
More schools are within reach in 13 of the 21 other towns. 22 towns of the 22 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 Waterloo
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 58 | 2 | 16 | 0.7 km |
| Westmount 3.3 km | 40 | 1 | 10 | 1.6 km |
| Cherry Hill 3.4 km | 43 | 2 | 12 | 0.6 km |
| Mt. Hope Huron Park 3.6 km | 33 | 2 | 7 | 1.2 km |
| Fairfield 3.7 km | 31 | 2 | 8 | 1.4 km |
| Victoria Hills 3.9 km | 39 | 1 | 9 | 1.8 km |
| Victoria Park 4.4 km | 34 | 1 | 9 | 1.4 km |
None of its 6 neighbours has more schools in reach.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Which schools count. Every school inside Waterloo’s outline or within 3 km of it, the rule used across the site.
- The kinds of school. The kind of school is what its province lists: elementary, secondary or both.
- What isn’t here. Missing: inspection ratings (no province gives them), enrolment trends and Ontario’s private schools.
- Bands, not ranks. The fifths are of schools, not students: a small school counts as much as a large one.
- The year. As the province lists them in 2024-25.
- Boards and systems. Each board covers a territory in one language and one system, public or Catholic; boards of different systems overlap.
Questions about schools in Waterloo
How many schools are there in Waterloo?
33 in the town, 25 just beyond it, within 3 km.
Is there a French-language school in Waterloo?
Yes, there are French-language schools: École élémentaire L'Harmonie and ÉÉC Mère-Élisabeth-Bruyère.
How do I get a place at a school in Waterloo?
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 Waterloo?
Waterloo Region DSB (41), Waterloo CDSB (15), CS Viamonde (1) and CS catholique MonAvenir (1), with each one’s schools in brackets.
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).