When I started to write this blog, I found it hard to set the parameters on how to define the best schools. Is it strictly how they score on their EQAO scores? How much does the actual physical structure matter? Is it located in a great community? And most importantly, how do we quantify these things?
Public Vs. Catholic Elementary Schools in Toronto
Public schools have historically had the best infrastructure and more land real estate than their Catholic counterparts. However, that may be changing as we see older Catholic schools being torn down and reimagined as new modern facilities are built, as well as underpopulated Public Schools being sold to the Catholic Board. In fact, the old Buttonwood Public School has just recently been sold to the Catholic Board to serve the growing demand of the Edenbridge-Humber Valley Catholic community.
Some schools have playgrounds and fields for days, and others are just concrete jungles where those scrappy kids are relegated to playing the game “four square”. St Pius X has one of the saddest playgrounds around. 2 small concrete pads serve as their outdoor space.
Compare that with Swansea Public School (within the same catchment area) which has multiple playgrounds, Rennie Park beside it, as well as the community pool attached, you start to see the imbalances in how schools used to be funded.
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New Vs. Old
We all know that our physical surroundings can take a toll on our well being. Whether the physical structure of the school building has an affect on how the kids perform is hard to quantify, but we may have a test subject that can help us determine that. The new Holy Angels facility on Islington just north of The Queensway has received a major glow up and just opened its newly renovated doors this year.
Although Holy Angels hasn’t historically ranked in the top EQAO scores, only time will tell whether their beautiful new facilities will affect EQAO scores.
Anecdotally, I have friends who chose to send their kids to the Norseman (the sister Public school to Holy Angels) as Holy Angels at the time was run down and didn’t score well. That sentiment in the surrounding neighbourhood has started to change, as the new school seems to have piqued the interest of many parents who, of course, want to give their kids the best.
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EQAO & Fraser Ranking
Until such a time where we can quantify these subjective pieces, one thing remains objective: how kids score on their EQAO tests in comparison to other schools. EQAO scores aren’t everything, but let’s face it, how the kids are scoring is a huge factor in the support they are getting at school. Ultimately that’s what parents look for in a school – will my child be taught well and supported enough to get good grades?
How the Fraser Report Works
The Fraser Institute bases its report on how schools compare to others based on their EQAO scores. The problem is that not all schools have test results, so they don’t show up in the Fraser Report ranking of schools. The report assumes the average score to be a 6. Anything above a 6 is considered above average, anything below a 6 is below average. Outside of their rank, it is beneficial to see if a school has been improving or declining over the years as that is a good harbinger of where scores are headed).
So, with that in mind, here are the top 5 Public and Catholic schools in the West End of Toronto based on their Fraser Report Ranking.
Public:
- Runnymede Jr & Sr Public School – 9.4 (High Park North – Bloor West Community)
- Indian Road Crescent Jr Public School – 9.3 (High Park North)
- Lambton Park Community School – 9.2 (The Kingsway)
- King George Jr Public School – 9.0 (Runnymede-Bloor West)
- Humber Valley Village Jr Middle School – 8.5 (Edenbridge-Humber Valley)
Catholic:
- St. Clement’s School – 9.6 (Etobicoke West Mall)
- Josyf Cardinal Slipyj Catholic School – 9.0 (Eringate-Centennial-West Deane)
- St. Vincent De Paul Catholic School – 8.6 (Roncesvalles)
- Notre-Dame-de-Grace/St Ambrose Catholic School – 8.2 (Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview and Alderwood)
- Father Serra Catholic School – 8.1 (Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview)
Schools & Property Value
A great school may make or break a child’s education, but is can also affect the value of your home. Nowhere is this more evident than in the communities surrounding the Father Serra catchment area. This school has long been desired by many parents in the separate school community. Formerly a Public school, Father Serra has sprawling fields for the kids to play in and consistently scores well on the EQAO tests (see above as it rounds out our top 5 Catholic schools as per the Fraser Report).
The catchment area sees the Westway as its northern border. Homes north of the Westway sell for about $100-$150,000 less than their identical counterparts south of The Westway, all because they don’t fall within the catchment area. In fact, the south side of The Westway falls INSIDE the catchment, and the north side does not. All you have to do is pull the historical prices of these homes to see how much it can affect the price.
So, while there are many things that go into making a great school, some things can’t simply be captured in the data. It’s always best to talk with the teachers, administrators as well as parents of any schools you are considering to get a sense of how things are run, outside of just how well they score on tests.
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