Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 4.0Watford’s 5 schools with results spread wide in Ontario, 1 in the top two fifths and 2 in the bottom two
The strongest results are at St John Fisher Catholic School. Counting a 3 km margin, Watford has 4 elementary schools and 1 secondary school, for 1,635 students.
How Watford’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 | 81% | 76% |
| Grade 3 writing | 4 | 58% | 65% |
| Grade 3 math | 4 | 70% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 4 | 88% | 88% |
| Grade 6 writing | 4 | 83% | 86% |
| Grade 6 math | 4 | 48% | 51% |
| Grade 9 math | 1 | 45% | 55% |
| Literacy test (OSSLT), first try | 1 | 83% | 85% |
On Grade 9 math the area trails, 45% against 55% in Ontario. The area is ahead on 2 of 8 measures and behind on 4. Over three years, 3 schools gained on most measures and 2 lost ground.
Every school’s results (5)
| School | Measure | Band |
|---|---|---|
| St John Fisher Catholic SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 91% · G3 writing 83% · G3 math 85% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 89% · G6 math 81% | Second fifth |
| St Peter Canisius Catholic SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 81% · G3 writing 62% · G3 math 69% · G6 reading 86% · G6 writing 86% · G6 math 50% | Middle fifth |
| Kinnwood Central Public SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 81% · G3 writing 52% · G3 math 71% · G6 reading 89% · G6 writing 80% · G6 math 46% | Middle fifth |
| North Lambton Secondary SchoolSecondary · Grades 9–12 | G9 math 45% · OSSLT 83% | Fourth fifth |
| East Lambton Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades JK–8 | G3 reading 77% · G3 writing 54% · G3 math 54% · G6 reading 64% · G6 writing 52% · G6 math 28% | 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 5 schools in and around Watford 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 Watford
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.
Schooling in French isn’t on offer here.
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 Watford’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: English public, English Catholic, French-language, and independent or other.
System by system: English public 3 and English Catholic 2.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
The 2 boards that run schools here
The boards and their schools here.
Among 2 boards, Lambton Kent DSB leads with 3.
| Board | System | Schools | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lambton Kent DSBNorth Lambton, Kinnwood Central, East Lambton | English public | 3 | 1,100 |
| St Clair CDSBSt John Fisher, St Peter Canisius | English Catholic | 2 | 535 |
Boards as Ontario’s list names them (its short forms: DSB, CDSB, CS).
How children get a place in Watford
Catholic schools
A Catholic elementary school usually asks for a Catholic parent or a baptized child; a Catholic high school admits all.
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 5 schools in and around Watford
Towns its size in Ontario
Places of about the same size and their schools in or within 3 km, largest first.
| Town | Population | Schools | Students | French | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mildmay | 6,247 | 13 | 4,170 | 0 | 6 km |
| … | |||||
| Morris-Turnberry | 4,028 | 4 | 1,260 | 0 | 4.9 km |
| Callander | 4,021 | 3 | 900 | 0 | 10 km |
| Kentley | 4,007 | 22 | 13,080 | 0 | 1 km |
| Stinson | 3,969 | 37 | 16,070 | 2 | 0.2 km |
| Watford | 3,955 | 5 | 1,635 | 0 | 19 km |
| Lisgar | 3,945 | 35 | 17,285 | 4 | 0.6 km |
| Auditorium | 3,918 | 34 | 18,980 | 0 | 0.8 km |
| Ainslie Wood West | 3,917 | 24 | 10,185 | 0 | 0.8 km |
| Bridgeport East | 3,903 | 40 | 22,565 | 2 | 1.7 km |
| … | |||||
| Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards | 2,505 | 2 | 215 | 0 | 20 km |
In 174 of the 232 others the count is higher. Of the 233, 147 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 Watford
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
| Town | Schools | French | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watford | 5 | 0 | 2 | 19 km |
| Brooke-Alvinston 15 km | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 km |
| Adelaide-Metcalfe 18 km | 8 | 0 | 3 | 4.6 km |
8 schools make Adelaide-Metcalfe the best supplied neighbour.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The kinds of school. The levels follow each school’s published grades: elementary below Grade 7 or 9, secondary above, all-grade when it runs the whole way.
- Which schools count. Each school is placed by its address point; those inside Watford or within 3 km of it are here.
- Boards and systems. Every public school has a board: English or French, and in this province public or Catholic too. Independent schools have none.
- The year. Listed for 2024-25.
- What isn’t here. What no open list gives: inspection grades, several years of enrolment, 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.
Questions about schools in Watford
Which boards run the schools in Watford?
Lambton Kent DSB (3) and St Clair CDSB (2), with each one’s schools in brackets.
How do I get a place at a school in Watford?
The board’s school locator gives the designated school; registration is with the board or the school.
How many schools are there in Watford?
Inside the town there are 2; another 3 sit within 3 km.
Is there a French-language school in Watford?
No, none within 3 km of Watford; ask the French-language board for the nearest.
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).