The 5 Best Schools Near Harbourfront & Queens Quay, Toronto (2026): What Condo Buyers Should Know

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty · Updated 2 October 2026 · 11 min read — the public, Catholic and alternative schools a Queens Quay condo family would look at first, which streets they cover, and how to confirm the school for your address.

How I chose these five schools

Harbourfront runs a long way along Queens Quay, from Bathurst Quay in the west to the new towers near Sugar Beach in the east, and a family at one end may be assigned to a very different school from a family at the other. So I picked schools that cover the whole stretch: the school at the foot of Bathurst Street, the two elementary schools at Canoe Landing whose street lists reach the central waterfront, an alternative high school on the water, and the JK to 8 school in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood just north of the rail corridor from the eastern end.

Check the school for your unit. The TDSB designates schools by residential address, and its Find Your School tool gives the school for a street address; the TCDSB has its own locator. Run the exact building through both before you sign. I do not publish attendance boundaries, because they change.

How I judged them. I have not used third-party league tables. Ontario’s own measure is EQAO results, published school by school in the province’s Find a school tool. Grades, addresses and programmes below come from the boards’ own pages. The order is my judgement of proximity and programmes, not an official ranking.

1. The Waterfront School

What it offers

The Waterfront School is a TDSB school at 635 Queens Quay West, for JK to Grade 8. The board describes the community it serves as “bounded by York Street on the east, Stadium Road on the west between Lakeshore Blvd and Queens Quay West.” It opened in September 1997, in an award-winning, fully accessible building “at the foot of Bathurst Street” that it shares with City School, the Harbourfront Community Centre and St. Stephen’s Childcare Centre.

Its profile lists visual arts, dance, drama and music in every grade, Indigenous learning, daily mindfulness.

What it means for buyers and renters

For most of the western Queens Quay buildings, this is the school to check first. A school, a community centre and child care under one roof, on the water, is a strong combination for a condo family.

Practical notes

Office: 416-393-8500. The boundary summary is the school’s own; the TDSB locator decides for a specific address.

2. Jean Lumb Public School

What it offers

Jean Lumb Public School, at 20 Brunel Court in the Canoe Landing building, is a TDSB school for JK to Grade 8. The TDSB says it will serve 550 students at full capacity, in 16 classrooms plus four kindergarten rooms, arts, science and music rooms, and a gymnasium shared with the community centre.

Why it matters on the waterfront

The school’s undated attendance-area list goes further south and east than many buyers expect. Alongside the CityPlace streets, it includes Queens Quay West 86 to 92 (even numbers), parts of Harbour Street, Lower Simcoe Street 11 to 51 (odd), York Street 1 to 25 (odd) and 10 to 20 (even), and Bay Street 10 to 142 (even). In other words, some of the central waterfront towers between York and Bay may fall to Jean Lumb rather than The Waterfront School.

What it means for buyers and renters

Two buildings a block apart on Queens Quay can be designated to different schools. Run the address, and for a new unit check the TDSB redirection map too.

3. Bishop Macdonell Catholic School

What it offers

Bishop Macdonell Catholic School is the TCDSB school at 20 Brunel Court, in the same Canoe Landing complex as Jean Lumb. It lists a STEAM programme, a kindergarten programme and child care, and describes itself as “part of the larger Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre.” The community centre, at 45 Fort York Boulevard, is listed by Doors Open Ontario as built in 2020.

What it means for buyers and renters

For a Catholic family on the western or central waterfront, this is the TCDSB elementary school to check first, north of Queens Quay in CityPlace. Its pages do not state a grade range, so ask the school (416-393-5462).

Practical notes

Use the TCDSB locator for your address and check eligibility with the TCDSB admissions office at 416-397-6900.

4. City School (alternative secondary)

What it offers

City School is a TDSB alternative high school for Grades 9 to 12, listed at 585 Queens Quay West and sharing a building with The Waterfront School. It describes itself as a school for “creative, self-motivated students who value community and collaborative learning,” with a semestered academic programme and a small student body.

How admission works

Entry is by application, not address. Grade 9 starts in September; Grades 10 to 12 can start in September or February; “an interview is required”; and open houses run in November, January and June.

What it means for buyers and renters

This is my one specialty pick. It suits a particular kind of student, so treat it as an option rather than a plan. I could not confirm from a board source which regular TDSB secondary school is designated for Queens Quay, so check the locator. Citywide, five TDSB Secondary Schools Without a Boundary accept applications by random selection; for September 2027 the window is 4 to 22 January 2027.

5. Market Lane Junior and Senior Public School

What it offers

Market Lane is a TDSB school at 246 The Esplanade, for JK to Grade 8. The TDSB calls it “a relatively new school (1992)” that shares a building complex with a community recreation centre and apartments. Its profile lists strings, brass, choir, African drumming and steel pan, partnerships with Soulpepper and Young People’s Theatre, and an on-site pool: “All students receive weekly swim instruction.” St. Lawrence Daycare is in the same complex.

What it means for buyers and renters

The Esplanade sits just north of the rail corridor from the eastern end of Queens Quay. If you are looking at the newer towers toward Jarvis Street and Sugar Beach, Market Lane is a school to compare, but your designated school may be different. Check the locator; I cover Market Lane in more depth in the best schools near St. Lawrence and the Distillery.

The five schools side by side

Sources: the TDSB and TCDSB school pages linked below, as listed in October 2026.

None of these five schools’ profiles mentions French Immersion. The TDSB’s Early French Immersion programme starts in junior kindergarten; for September 2027 the online application runs from 2 November to 27 November 2026, and a place at a specific school is not guaranteed.

What this means if you are buying or selling here

TRREB counts Harbourfront and Queens Quay inside district C01, the downtown core. These are district-wide figures, not for any one building: in August 2026 C01 recorded 204 condo apartment sales at a median of $585,000 and an average of $695,533, at 96 percent of list price after an average of 41 days. With 1,102 active listings and 542 new listings, that is about 5.4 months of supply and a sales-to-new-listings ratio of about 38 percent, by my arithmetic.

Waterfront units vary more than most: lake view, floor and age move value as much as size. For families, the deciding unit is usually a larger two-bedroom within walking distance of the right school, and I confirm the designated schools for the address before I put them in a listing.

For a full picture of buying here, read buying a Harbourfront or Queens Quay condo. If you are renting first, see the top five condos to rent in Harbourfront. For outdoor space, see the best parks along Harbourfront and Queens Quay, and for schools a few blocks north, the best schools near CityPlace and Fort York. Owners wondering how view and floor affect price should read how floor, view and parking change a condo’s value.

Two tools help here: the AI condo value estimator below gives you a range in about a minute, and the net proceeds calculator turns any price into what actually lands in your account.

If you want help matching a building to a school, book a call or phone 833-330-1925.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• TDSB — Find your school by home address — designated school for a residential address
• TCDSB — Elementary school locator — Catholic school for an address
• Government of Ontario — Find an elementary or secondary school — grades, EQAO results and demographics for each public school
• TDSB — The Waterfront School — JK to 8, area served
• TDSB — The Waterfront School profile — shared building, opened 1997
• TDSB — Jean Lumb Public School profile — JK to 8, 550 students at full capacity
• Jean Lumb Public School — Attendance area street list — undated street list
• TCDSB — Bishop Macdonell Catholic School — STEAM, kindergarten, child care
• TDSB — City School — alternative secondary, interview required
• TDSB — Market Lane school profile — weekly swim instruction
• TDSB — Early French Immersion (JK entry) — 2 to 27 November window for 2027-28
• TRREB — Market Watch, August 2026 — condominium apartment tables by region and municipality

Related reading

• The 5 best parks in Harbourfront and Queens Quay
• Top 5 condos to rent in Harbourfront
• Harbourfront and Queens Quay condos: buying downtown on the water
• WaterClub Condos, Queens Quay West: building guide
• King’s Landing Condos, Queens Quay West: building guide
• The 5 best schools near CityPlace and Fort York
• The 5 best schools near St. Lawrence and the Distillery