Photo: Maxime Laterreur · CC BY 4.0Around Waterloo, 3 elementary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 school for every grade: 5 schools in all
There are none just outside: each is in the town. One of the 5 teaches in English, against 10% of schools in Quebec.
Where the 5 schools in and around Waterloo are
A pin for every school, its colour the system it belongs to.
Points from the provincial lists.
Schooling in English and French around Waterloo
English, French and other languages of instruction, beside the mix in Quebec.
The mark on each bar is the share of schools in Quebec.
The English-language schools are École primaire de Waterloo, run by Commission scolaire Eastern Townships.
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 Waterloo’s schools
Each level’s schools by system: the French service centres, the English boards, independent and other schools.
Their systems: French service centres 4 and English boards 1.
The provincial school lists: each school’s board, language and Catholic or public status.
Which of the 2 boards runs which school
Every board or service centre with a school in the area, and its schools.
Centre de services scolaire du Val-des-Cerfs runs the most, 4 of them, among 2 boards. The French service centre and the English board cover the same territory, each with its own schools.
| Board | System | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Centre de services scolaire du Val-des-CerfsWilfrid-Léger, de l'Orée-des-Cantons (Bureau - Location), de l'Orée-des-Cantons (Pavillon Notre-Dame), de l'Orée-des-Cantons (Pavillon Saint-Bernardin) | French public | 4 |
| Commission scolaire Eastern Townshipsprimaire de Waterloo | English public | 1 |
Boards and districts as the provincial lists name them.
How children get a place in Waterloo
English schools in Quebec
English public schooling in Quebec needs a certificate of eligibility, usually earned through a parent’s English elementary schooling in Canada; other children attend French schools.
The neighbourhood school
Ask the board first. It holds the enrolment list and points each street to its own school; out-of-area requests go ahead only with space to spare.
The provinces’ education acts and the boards’ own admission policies; check with the board for a given address.
The 5 schools in and around Waterloo
High schools within reach of Waterloo
The high schools a family here could reach, within 15 km.
Counting out to 15 km, there are 3: 2 English public and 1 French public. First by distance comes École primaire de Waterloo, at 0.5 km.
| School | Board | System | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| École primaire de WaterlooAll grades | Commission scolaire Eastern Townships | English public | 0.5 km |
| École Wilfrid-LégerSecondary | Centre de services scolaire du Val-des-Cerfs | French public | 0.9 km |
| Académie KnowltonAll grades | Commission scolaire Eastern Townships | English public | 14 km |
Distances in a straight line from the town’s centre point.
Towns its size in Quebec
Towns of a similar population, with their schools in or within 3 km; described, not ranked.
| Town | Population | Schools | English | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval | 9,084 | 3 | 0 | 13 km |
| … | ||||
| Val-David | 5,920 | 11 | 0 | 0.4 km |
| Sainte-Martine | 5,884 | 9 | 0 | 2 km |
| Verchères | 5,819 | 13 | 0 | 4.7 km |
| Vieux-Québec—Cap-Blanc—Colline parlementaire | 5,764 | 101 | 4 | 0.6 km |
| Waterloo | 5,714 | 5 | 1 | 0.5 km |
| Orford | 5,698 | 5 | 0 | 0.9 km |
| Lanoraie | 5,694 | 7 | 1 | 8.9 km |
| Chertsey | 5,678 | 2 | 0 | 12 km |
| Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan | 5,675 | 4 | 0 | 1.7 km |
| … | ||||
| Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier | 3,400 | 6 | 2 | 1.9 km |
Among 151 towns its size, 76 have more schools nearby. 66 towns of the 152 have 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 Waterloo
Schools in or within 3 km of each neighbouring town; distances in a straight line.
| Town | Schools | English | Catholic or independent | Nearest secondary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 km |
| Shefford 8.3 km | 9 | 1 | 0 | 7.4 km |
| Stukely-Sud 10 km | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 km |
| Bromont 12 km | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 km |
| Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford 12 km | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 km |
| Lac-Brome 12 km | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2.2 km |
| Granby 18 km | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1.3 km |
Among the neighbours, Granby has 26, the most.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The kinds of school. Elementary and secondary come from the grades each school offers; a school offering both counts as all-grade.
- Which schools count. Inside Waterloo’s boundary, or no more than 3 km outside it: that is which schools are counted.
- What isn’t here. No province rates its schools by inspection, and enrolment covers one year (Ontario and Alberta only), so there is no trend.
- One school, two buildings. The ministry lists buildings, not schools: a two-building school has two entries here.
- Boards and systems. Since 2020, the French public network is run by service centres; the English boards kept their elected councils.
- The year. As the province lists them in 2025-26.
Questions about schools in Waterloo
Is there a English-language school in Waterloo?
Yes, schooling in English is at École primaire de Waterloo.
Which boards run the schools in Waterloo?
By number of schools: Centre de services scolaire du Val-des-Cerfs (4) and Commission scolaire Eastern Townships (1).
How do I get a place at a school in Waterloo?
Go to the service centre for your area, or to the English school board if the child is eligible.
Sources: Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec, school locations (CC BY 4.0) · The schools grade is given only where results are open; in Quebec, the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school. · 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).