Back to School - Relocating & Best School Districts in Ottawa

Happy September! 

The busiest season in real estate is coming to a close, since a lot of family moves with children have happened in the summer. For those moving within Ottawa the top priority is often staying in their school district, or moving into a great one. But what if you don’t know the lay of the land and where you want your child to go? 

Recently, I have been working with a few families that are relocating to Ottawa with school age kids. A lot of parents check out the Fraser Institute for school rankings. A little PSA on using the website — searching “Ottawa” won’t bring you ratings for every neighbourhood! Most of the neighbourhoods surrounding the top-rated schools in “Ottawa” are in established neighbourhoods made up of a lot of older homes near the core.

To widen your search to the surrounding suburbs, make sure you check out (in order of highest rated high schools!)

• Gloucester (Steve Maclean Elementary & Colonel By Secondary)

• Nepean (St. Gregory Elementary & John McCrae Secondary)

• Kanata (Stephen Leacock Elementary & Holy Trinity Secondary)

• Orléans (Convent Glen Elementary & St. Matthew Secondary)

Communities a little further out

• Stittsville (Guardian Angels Elementary & Sacred Heart Secondary)

• Manotick (St. Leonard Elementary & St. Mark Secondary)

We all are curious as parents! So a little top 3 doesn’t hurt… 

Top 3 Elementary Schools (all neighbourhood search including Ottawa)

• St. Gregory Elementary (Nepean)

• Stephen Leacock (Kanata)

• Convent Glen (Orléans)

Top 3 High Schools (all neighbourhood search including Ottawa)

• Colonel By (Gloucester)

• John McCrae (Nepean) tied with Holy Trinity (Kanata) 

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you are relocating and interested in viewing homes in these areas!