Photo: Gaétan Veillette · CC BY-SA 4.0The schools around Contrecoeur answer to 3 boards
Centre de services scolaire des Samares leads with 4 schools, alongside Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes and Centre de services scolaire de Sorel-Tracy. None of them teaches in English, though 10% of schools in Quebec do. Taken together, Contrecoeur and its 3 km edge hold 7 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 school for every grade. The schools grade is left out in Quebec, as the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
The 3 boards that run schools here
Each board’s schools in the area, largest first.
French and English public schools here belong to two separate networks over the same ground.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Centre de services scolaire des Samaresprimaire Jean-Chrysostôme-Chaussé, primaire de la Source, primaire de la Source d'Autray, de la Rive | French public | 4 |
| Centre de services scolaire des PatriotesMère-Marie-Rose, des Coeurs-Vaillants | French public | 2 |
| Centre de services scolaire de Sorel-TracyPierre-de-Saint-Ours, Saint-Roch | French public | 2 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
Schooling in English and French around Contrecoeur
English, French and other languages of instruction, beside the mix in Quebec.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Quebec.
A English-language school would mean a trip out of the area.
Quebec’s Charter of the French Language sends most children to French-language schools; English public schooling is for children who hold a certificate of eligibility.
Where the 9 schools in and around Contrecoeur are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Who runs Contrecoeur’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: the French service centres, the English boards, independent and other schools.
Split by system, that is French service centres 8 and independent 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Contrecoeur
The neighbourhood school
Where a family lives sets the school: each board draws a catchment around every one of its schools, and a child living inside it has a place there. Other schools take children from outside when they have room.
English schools in Quebec
A certificate of eligibility opens the English public schools; most children qualify for French-language schools only.
Independent schools
Independent schools here charge fees but receive some provincial funding if they meet its standards.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 9 schools in and around Contrecoeur
High schools within reach of Contrecoeur
The high schools a family here could reach, within 15 km.
Within 15 km, families can reach 2 high schools: 1 independent and 1 French public. Closest of all: L'Académie de la Vallée du Roy (5.2 km).
| School | Board | System | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Académie de la Vallée du RoyAll grades | – | Independent | 5.2 km |
| École secondaire de la RiveSecondary | Centre de services scolaire des Samares | French public | 5.4 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Towns its size in Quebec
Places of about the same size and their schools in or within 3 km, largest first.
| Town | Population | Schools | English | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Charles-Borromée | 16,904 | 25 | 2 | 1.3 km |
| … | ||||
| Farnham | 11,315 | 7 | 1 | 0.8 km |
| La Tuque | 11,309 | 11 | 1 | 4.6 km |
| Laval-Ouest | 11,034 | 28 | 3 | 2.2 km |
| Vieux Greenfield Park | 10,998 | 72 | 19 | 0.6 km |
| Contrecoeur | 10,708 | 9 | 0 | 5.3 km |
| Bois-des-Filion | 10,666 | 23 | 2 | 0 km |
| Saint-Sacrement | 10,650 | 38 | 4 | 0.4 km |
| Dutrisac | 10,643 | 89 | 13 | 0.8 km |
| Bassin-de-la-Lièvre | 10,571 | 16 | 8 | 6.8 km |
| … | ||||
| Princeville | 6,400 | 8 | 0 | 0.4 km |
108 of the 161 others have more schools in reach. Of the 162, 105 offer a English-language school.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Contrecoeur
Each town’s schools in or within 3 km of its outline; distances as the crow flies.
| Town | Schools | English | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contrecoeur | 9 | 0 | 1 | 5.3 km |
| Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu 5.6 km | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 km |
| Lavaltrie 5.8 km | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1.2 km |
| Saint-Ours 6.4 km | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 km |
| Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu 8.7 km | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 km |
| Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu 10 km | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 km |
| Lanoraie 11 km | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8.9 km |
It outnumbers its 6 neighbours on schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The year. The 2025-26 list.
- Boards and systems. Since 2020, the French public network is run by service centres; the English boards kept their elected councils.
- What isn’t here. Missing: inspection ratings (no province gives them), enrolment trends and Ontario’s private schools.
- One school, two buildings. The ministry lists buildings, not schools: a two-building school has two entries here.
- Which schools count. Each school is placed by its address point; those inside Contrecoeur or within 3 km of it are here.
- The kinds of school. Where a province publishes grades, the card gives them; elementary and secondary follow those grades.
Questions about schools in Contrecoeur
How do I get a place at a school in Contrecoeur?
Register with the service centre (French) or the school board (English, with a certificate of eligibility); the address sets the designated school.
Which boards run the schools in Contrecoeur?
Centre de services scolaire des Samares (4), Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes (2) and Centre de services scolaire de Sorel-Tracy (2), with each one’s schools in brackets.
How many schools are there in Contrecoeur?
2 are inside the town itself and 7 lie within 3 km of its edge.
Is there a English-language school in Contrecoeur?
Not in or within 3 km of Contrecoeur; the English-language board can name the nearest.
Sources: Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec, school locations (CC BY 4.0) · 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).