Over 20 GTA Elementary Schools Earn Perfect Scores in New Ontario Education Rankings

A new education report released by the Fraser Institute shows that more than 20 elementary schools in the Greater Toronto Area earned perfect scores in the latest rankings of Ontario’s elementary schools, based on official standardized assessment results.

The report evaluated 3,052 public, Catholic, and independent schools across the province using nine academic indicators drawn from Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) test scores. The institute noted that the rankings do not include every school in Ontario.

According to the findings, 31 schools tied for first place, including institutions in Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton, Oakville, and Scarborough. Among them were AI-Manarat Heights in Mississauga, Cottingham and High Park Alternative in Toronto, and St. Agnes of Assisi in Woodbridge.

At the lower end of the rankings, several schools in the GTA recorded low scores, including Willow Park in Scarborough (1.2 out of 10), Baycrest in North York (1.3), and Santa Maria in York (1.4), highlighting performance disparities within large urban regions.

In a statement accompanying the report, the Fraser Institute said the rankings are intended to provide parents with comparative information on school performance, emphasizing that a school’s position does not determine its ability to improve.

The report cited examples of improvement, including Burleigh Hill Public School in St. Catharines, which increased its score from 4.5 in 2018 to 9.9 in the current rankings, and Tyendinaga Public School in Shannonville, which improved from 1.6 to 5.4 despite serving a high proportion of students with special needs.

The institute advised parents not to rely solely on rankings when choosing schools, noting that other factors such as programs, school environment, and student support services should also be considered.