Published 2 November 2026 · By Jatin Dua, Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty
The top-rated schools in Oshawa are Antonine-Maillet (9.1 out of 10, a French-language school), Northern Dancer (8.2) and Seneca Trail (8.1) at the elementary level, and Maxwell Heights (6.9) and R.S. McLaughlin (6.4) at the high school level, based on the latest Fraser Institute ratings.
This guide is for parents buying or renting in Oshawa who want to know which schools have the strongest results going into 2027. You get my five picks, the actual scores behind them, what each one asks of you (address, language, program), and what homes cost in the city right now.
How did I choose the top 5 schools in Oshawa?
No government agency ranks schools. I used the two public yardsticks most parents look at:
- Fraser Institute ratings. The Fraser Institute, a think tank, turns provincial test results into a score out of 10 for each school. Its latest elementary report, released in January 2026, ranked 3,052 Ontario schools. Its latest secondary report ranked 747 high schools.
- EQAO results. The Education Quality and Accountability Office tests every Ontario student in Grades 3 and 6 (reading, writing, math), Grade 9 math, and the Grade 10 literacy test (OSSLT). The 2025–26 results came out in September 2026.
The Fraser site rates 42 elementary schools and 7 high schools in Oshawa. I took the highest scores, then checked each school’s track record over several years, because one good year can be luck. Schools with very small classes swing the most, and I say so where it applies.
One honest caution: a rating measures test results, not the whole school. Special education needs, class sizes, how many students are new to English and family income all affect scores. Use the numbers to build a shortlist, then visit.
The five schools at a glance
| School | Board | Level | Latest rating | Ontario rank | Earlier ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonine-Maillet | Conseil scolaire Viamonde | Elementary | 9.1 | 97 of 3,052 | 7.8, 6.2, 9.1 |
| Northern Dancer PS | Durham DSB | Elementary | 8.2 | 287 of 3,052 | 7.9, 7.5, 8.6 |
| Seneca Trail PS | Durham DSB | Elementary | 8.1 | 313 of 3,052 | 8.1, 7.9, 5.4 |
| Maxwell Heights SS | Durham DSB | Secondary | 6.9 | 238 of 747 | 7.3, 6.9, 7.3 |
| R.S. McLaughlin CVI | Durham DSB | Secondary | 6.4 | 326 of 747 | 5.8, 6.6, 6.4 |
Source: Fraser Institute school rankings (compareschoolrankings.org), latest rating year shown on the site as 2024; earlier ratings are 2023, 2022 and 2019 (testing paused in 2020 and 2021).
1. École élémentaire Antonine-Maillet
What it is like: a French-language public elementary school at 615 Ridgeway Avenue, run by Conseil scolaire Viamonde. Teaching is in French, not English with some French. Its 9.1 rating is the highest of any elementary school in Oshawa and placed it 97th in Ontario.
Who it suits: families with a right to French-language schooling. Under section 23 of the Charter, a parent who is a Canadian citizen living in Ontario qualifies if French is their first language, they went to a French-language elementary school in Canada, or they have a child who attends or attended one. Those children are admitted automatically. Other families can apply, and a board admission committee decides.
What to check: the Grade 6 class had about 23 students, and the rating has moved from 6.2 to 7.8 to 9.1 over three tested years. With classes that small, a few students change the score. Ask the school about busing and how far its attendance area reaches before you choose a street.
2. Northern Dancer Public School
What it is like: a Durham District School Board elementary school at 2200 Bridle Road. It rated 8.2, ranked 287th in Ontario, with a Grade 6 group of about 74 students. Its rating has stayed between 7.5 and 8.6 in every year the site shows, which is the steadiest strong record in the city.
Who it suits: families who want an English-language public school with consistent results and a mid-sized class. About 12% of students were identified with special needs, so supports are part of daily school life.
What to check: whether the exact house you want falls inside its boundary. Durham’s public board has a school locator tool on its website. Type in the address before you make an offer, not after.
3. Seneca Trail Public School
What it is like: another Durham public elementary school, at 1915 Queensbury Drive. It rated 8.1 in each of the last two rating years and ranked 313th in Ontario. In 2019 it rated 5.4, so this is a school that has improved, not one that has always been at the top.
Who it suits: parents who like a rising trend and a smaller cohort (about 59 students in Grade 6).
What to check: ask the principal what changed after 2019 and whether the same approach is still in place. A school that improved for a clear reason is a better bet than one that had a lucky year.
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4. Maxwell Heights Secondary School
What it is like: a Durham public high school at 1100 Coldstream Drive. At 6.9 (238th of 747) it is Oshawa’s highest-rated high school. In its latest year, 89.6% of first-time students passed the Grade 10 literacy test. Its rating has stayed between 6.9 and 7.5 since 2018.
Who it suits: families who want the strongest English-language public high school results in the city.
What to check: high school boundaries are wider than elementary ones and can change when new schools open. Confirm the boundary for your address with the board. If you are comparing Oshawa with Whitby, my guide to the top schools in Pickering, Ajax and Whitby lists the higher-rated options there.
5. R.S. McLaughlin Collegiate and Vocational Institute
What it is like: a Durham public high school at 570 Stevenson Road North. It rated 6.4 (326th of 747), and 85.7% of first-time students passed the literacy test. It is the only Durham public high school in Oshawa listed as offering French Immersion, alongside a regular English program.
Who it suits: students coming out of an elementary French Immersion program who want to keep going and earn the Certificate of French Immersion Studies.
What to check: the rating dipped to 5.8 the year before. Look at the newest EQAO report for the school on the board’s site, and ask how French Immersion students and the English program students do separately.
Which other Oshawa schools are worth a look?
Coronation Public School rated 7.3, up from about 6 in the three years before. On the Catholic side, John XXIII Catholic School rated 6.9 with a small Grade 6 group of about 25. The two Durham Catholic high schools in Oshawa, Monsignor John Pereyma and Monsignor Paul Dwyer, both rated 5.6. O’Neill Collegiate rated 5.7.
Some Oshawa schools ranked near the bottom of Ontario. One elementary school rated 1.2 and two public high schools rated below 4.5. A low score does not make a school unsafe or uncaring, but if school results matter to you, look up the assigned school for every address on your shortlist. Two houses a few streets apart can be zoned to very different schools.
How do Oshawa’s public schools compare on EQAO?
| Test (2025–26) | Durham DSB | Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 reading | 73% | 75% |
| Grade 3 writing | 66% | 67% |
| Grade 6 reading | 85% | 86% |
| Grade 6 writing | 84% | 85% |
| Grade 6 math | 48% | 52% |
| Grade 9 math | 58% | 59% |
| Grade 10 literacy test (OSSLT) | 86% | 86% |
Source: EQAO provincial results for English-language schools (September 2026); Durham District School Board 2025–26 results highlights. Share of students meeting the provincial standard.
Durham’s public board, which runs most Oshawa schools, sits close to the provincial average. Its literacy results are solid. Math is the weak spot, and the board itself calls math a key area of focus. That is why the individual school matters more in Oshawa than the board does. The board also reported strong French Immersion results, with 94% of Grade 6 French Immersion students meeting the standard in reading and writing.
Which Oshawa schools offer French Immersion?
In the Durham public board, French Immersion starts in Grade 1. Students spend the whole day in French in Grades 1 to 3, then half the day from Grade 4. Schools that teach only French Immersion no longer run Kindergarten, so children start Kindergarten at their home school and can transfer in the spring before Grade 1. In Oshawa the board lists:
- David Bouchard Public School (English and French Immersion)
- Jeanne Sauvé Public School (French Immersion only)
- Walter E. Harris Public School (French Immersion only)
- R.S. McLaughlin CVI for high school (English and French Immersion)
French Immersion is different from a French-language school like Antonine-Maillet. Immersion is for children whose first language is not French. A French-language school is for rights holders and families approved by the board’s committee.
What do homes cost in Oshawa near the top schools?
| Home type (Oshawa) | Median price, Jan–Oct 2026 | Change vs 2025 | Average days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | $730,000 | −8.8% | 25 |
| Semi-detached | $610,000 | −7.6% | 21 |
| Freehold townhouse | $657,500 | −10.5% | 34 |
| Condo townhouse | $518,500 | −9.0% | 33 |
| Condo apartment | $340,500 | −14.3% | 51 |
Source: TRREB MLS data via REALM, January–October 2026 vs the same period of 2025. City-wide medians for Oshawa; no school-zone breakdown is published.
These are city-wide numbers. I do not have a reliable figure for how much more a house costs inside a top school’s boundary, and I would be wary of anyone who quotes you one without showing sold data. For neighbourhoods, see my best neighbourhoods to live in Oshawa, and for a price on a specific home, my guide to what a house is worth in Whitby or Oshawa.
In Oshawa I would not pay a big premium for a school name. Prices fell across every home type in 2026, so buyers have room to choose. Pick two or three streets you like, look up the assigned elementary and high school for each, and favour schools with steady ratings over several years, like Northern Dancer, over one-year spikes. If French matters, decide early between Immersion and a French-language school, because the rules and the schools are different.
What to do next
- Write down the addresses you are considering and look up the assigned public and Catholic schools on each board’s school locator.
- Check each school’s page on the Fraser Institute site and its latest EQAO report for at least three years of results.
- If you want French Immersion, confirm which Immersion school serves the address and when the board takes Grade 1 registrations for September 2027.
- Visit the school or attend an open house, and ask about class sizes, special education support and before- and after-school care.
- Compare Oshawa with nearby cities using my top GTA cities for schools before you set your search area.
Need help with this? Talk to me.
I’m Jatin Dua, Broker of Record at RE/MAX Quantum Realty, and I’m the best agent to do this kind of work for you in Toronto and across the GTA. Over $100 million in GTA sales and 100+ families helped sell. Feel free to contact me any time: call or text 833-330-1925 or email [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
What is the best elementary school in Oshawa?
École élémentaire Antonine-Maillet has the highest Fraser Institute rating of any Oshawa elementary school, at 9.1 out of 10, 97th of 3,052 in Ontario. It is a French-language school, so admission is mainly for French-language rights holders. Among English-language public schools, Northern Dancer (8.2) and Seneca Trail (8.1) rate highest in Oshawa going into 2027.
What is the best high school in Oshawa?
Maxwell Heights Secondary School is Oshawa’s highest-rated high school, with a Fraser Institute score of 6.9 out of 10, 238th of 747 in Ontario. In its latest year, 89.6% of first-time students passed the Grade 10 literacy test. R.S. McLaughlin CVI is next at 6.4 and is Oshawa’s Durham public high school for French Immersion.
Are Oshawa schools good?
Results vary widely by school. Durham District School Board, which runs most Oshawa public schools, scored close to Ontario’s average on 2025–26 EQAO tests, with 86% passing the literacy test, the same as the province. Some Oshawa schools rate above 8 out of 10, while a few rank near the bottom of Ontario, so check the specific school for each address.
Which Oshawa schools have French Immersion?
In Oshawa, the Durham District School Board offers French Immersion at David Bouchard Public School, Jeanne Sauvé Public School and Walter E. Harris Public School, and at R.S. McLaughlin CVI for high school. The program starts in Grade 1, with full days in French in Grades 1 to 3 and half days from Grade 4 onward.
Can my child attend a French-language school in Oshawa if I do not speak French?
Possibly, but it is not automatic. In Ontario, children of French-language rights holders under section 23 of the Charter are admitted automatically to schools like Antonine-Maillet in Oshawa. Families who are not rights holders can apply, and the school board’s admission committee reviews each request. French Immersion is the main option for non-francophone families.
How do I find which school my Oshawa address is zoned for?
Use the school locator tool on the Durham District School Board website for public schools and enter the exact address. For Catholic schools, check with the Durham Catholic District School Board. Boundaries can change when new schools open in Oshawa, so check again just before you firm up an offer in 2027 rather than relying on a listing description.
Do Oshawa houses near top schools cost more?
There is no published figure for an Oshawa school premium. The median detached home in Oshawa sold for $730,000 from January to October 2026, down 8.8% from 2025, according to TRREB MLS data. Prices near a popular school may be higher, but the only reliable way to know is to compare recent sold prices street by street.
When does the Fraser Institute release new Ontario school rankings?
The most recent Fraser Institute secondary report for Ontario was released in November 2025 and the most recent elementary report in January 2026. New editions using newer EQAO results are expected to follow, so Oshawa families shopping in 2027 should recheck each school’s page on compareschoolrankings.org before deciding.
Is Oshawa or Whitby better for schools?
Whitby scores higher at the high school level. In the latest Fraser Institute ratings, five Whitby high schools rated above Oshawa’s best, Maxwell Heights at 6.9, led by Donald A. Wilson at 8.4. Oshawa’s advantage is price: its median detached home sold for $730,000 from January to October 2026, according to TRREB MLS data.
Sources
- Fraser Institute school rankings: Northern Dancer Public School, Oshawa
- Fraser Institute school rankings: Maxwell Heights Secondary School, Oshawa
- CP24: Ontario’s best- and worst-performing elementary schools ranked (Fraser Institute, January 2026)
- Fraser Institute: New rankings of Ontario secondary schools released
- EQAO: Assessment results 2025–2026
- Durham District School Board: 2025–2026 EQAO results highlights
- Durham District School Board: French Immersion
- Government of Ontario: French-language education
Related reading
- Top 5 Best Neighbourhoods to Live in Mississauga in 2027
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- Top 5 Best Neighbourhoods to Live in Markham in 2027
- Top 5 Best Neighbourhoods to Live in Oakville in 2027
About the author — Jatin Dua, Toronto and GTA real estate broker
I am Jatin Dua, Broker of Record and co-founder of RE/MAX Quantum Realty Inc., Brokerage, Unit 101, 799 The Queensway, Toronto. I work with buyers and sellers across Toronto and the GTA and have helped more than 100 families sell. Four-plus years of active GTA transactions and over $100 million in sales volume.
Reach me at [email protected] or 833-330-1925, or book a call.