Photo: Fairchild Aviation Limited (d'après l'inscription dans le coin inférieur droit de la photo) · Public domain3 school boards share Shawinigan
The largest is Centre de services scolaire de l'Énergie, with 26; beside it are Centre de services scolaire du Chemin-du-Roy and Commission scolaire Central Québec. Of the 30, one teaches in English (10% of schools in Quebec). Counting a 3 km margin, Shawinigan has 21 elementary schools, 7 secondary schools and 2 schools for every grade. No schools grade in Quebec: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.
The 3 boards that run schools here
Every board or service centre with a school in the area, and its schools.
The French service centre and the English board cover the same territory, each with its own schools.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Centre de services scolaire de l'ÉnergieDominique-Savio, Dominique-Savio (Jacques-Plante), Félix-Leclerc, Immaculée-Conception, Jacques-Plante, Jacques-Plante (Dominique-Savio), La Croisière - Plein Soleil - Primadel, Lac-à-la-Tortue (Pavillon Jacques-Cartier) … | French public | 26 |
| Centre de services scolaire du Chemin-du-RoyAmi-Joie-et-des-Grès, Ami-Joie-et-des-Grès (Grès, des) | French public | 2 |
| Commission scolaire Central Québecde Shawinigan | English public | 1 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
Where the 30 schools in and around Shawinigan are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Shawinigan
Each school by its language of instruction, with the share in Quebec marked.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Quebec.
By name, in English: École secondaire de Shawinigan (Commission scolaire Central Québec).
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.
Who runs Shawinigan’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: the French service centres, the English boards, independent and other schools.
Who runs them, in numbers: French service centres 28, English boards 1 and independent 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
How children get a place in Shawinigan
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.
Independent schools
Fees and admissions are each independent school’s own; the province covers a share of costs for those that meet its rules.
English schools in Quebec
To attend an English public school, a child needs a certificate of eligibility from the ministry.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 30 schools in and around Shawinigan
High schools within reach of Shawinigan
The high schools a family here could reach, within 15 km.
9 secondary schools are within 15 km: 7 French public, 1 independent and 1 English public. Nearest: Le Séminaire Sainte-Marie, 0.4 km off.
| School | Board | System | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Séminaire Sainte-MarieSecondary | – | Independent | 0.4 km |
| École secondaire des ChutesSecondary | Centre de services scolaire de l'Énergie | French public | 1 km |
| École de l'ÉnergieAll grades | Centre de services scolaire de l'Énergie | French public | 1.8 km |
| École secondaire de ShawiniganAll grades | Commission scolaire Central Québec | English public | 3.3 km |
| École secondaire Val-MauricieSecondary | Centre de services scolaire de l'Énergie | French public | 3.4 km |
| École secondaire des ChutesSecondary | Centre de services scolaire de l'Énergie | French public | 3.4 km |
| École secondaire du RocherSecondary | Centre de services scolaire de l'Énergie | French public | 3.4 km |
| École secondaire du RocherSecondary | Centre de services scolaire de l'Énergie | French public | 5.3 km |
| École secondaire Val-MauricieSecondary | Centre de services scolaire de l'Énergie | French public | 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chomedey | 81,813 | 141 | 14 | 0.2 km |
| … | ||||
| Saint-Hyacinthe | 60,874 | 31 | 0 | 0.4 km |
| Mascouche | 56,897 | 36 | 2 | 1.3 km |
| Châteauguay | 53,508 | 26 | 5 | 0.4 km |
| Rimouski | 51,756 | 22 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Shawinigan | 51,739 | 30 | 1 | 0.5 km |
| Dollard-Des Ormeaux | 50,246 | 62 | 23 | 0.5 km |
| Pointe-aux-Trembles | 49,869 | 37 | 4 | 1.3 km |
| Victoriaville | 49,863 | 24 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Fabreville | 48,457 | 66 | 6 | 0.8 km |
| … | ||||
| Vieux-Lachine - Saint-Pierre | 31,113 | 94 | 33 | 0.5 km |
Set against 44 others, 35 have more schools in reach. Teaching in English: 42 of the 45 have it.
Populations from Statistics Canada; schools from the provincial lists, in or within 3 km of each town.
Schools in the towns around Shawinigan
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawinigan | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 km |
| Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel 11 km | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 km |
| Saint-Boniface 11 km | 14 | 1 | 0 | 6.2 km |
| Hérouxville 12 km | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 km |
| Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc 13 km | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 km |
| Saint-Étienne-des-Grès 16 km | 7 | 0 | 0 | 11 km |
| Saint-Narcisse 19 km | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 km |
It has more schools than any of its 6 neighbours.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The year. As the province lists them in 2025-26.
- Boards and systems. Since 2020, the French public network is run by service centres; the English boards kept their elected councils.
- One school, two buildings. Where a school spans two buildings, each is listed, with its name in brackets.
- What isn’t here. No ratings by inspectors, no enrolment trend: neither is published school by school.
- Which schools count. Inside Shawinigan’s boundary, or no more than 3 km outside it: that is which schools are counted.
- 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.
Questions about schools in Shawinigan
How do I get a place at a school in Shawinigan?
Registration is with the school body, not the school; the neighbourhood school follows the address.
Which boards run the schools in Shawinigan?
By number of schools: Centre de services scolaire de l'Énergie (26), Centre de services scolaire du Chemin-du-Roy (2) and Commission scolaire Central Québec (1).
Is there a English-language school in Shawinigan?
Yes, there are English-language schools: École secondaire de Shawinigan.
How many schools are there in Shawinigan?
27 are inside the town itself and 3 lie within 3 km of its edge.
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).