Compare Ottawa School Ratings by Neighbourhood: EQAO Guide

Ottawa school ratings come from the Ontario provincial assessments run by EQAO, the Education Quality and Accountability Office. According to EQAO (2026), these tests measure reading, writing and mathematics at Grade 3 and Grade 6, Grade 9 mathematics, and secondary-level literacy (OSSLT) and mathematics proficiency. Because most Ontario school comparisons rely on these results, they are the most consistent starting point for comparing neighbourhoods in Ottawa.

Where to Find School Ratings in Ottawa

The most direct method is to look up individual school results in EQAO’s public reporting tools, then compare schools on the same measures. The following table lists what each assessment covers, so you know which results are available for a given school level.

Since the assessments only cover the grades listed above, a school’s results at other grade levels will not appear in these figures. When you compare a Grade 3 score for one school with a Grade 6 score for another, you are comparing different cohorts and different tests, so compare like with like.

A practical comparison method

• Match the grade and subject. Compare elementary schools using the same Grade 3 or Grade 6 subject, and secondary schools using the same test.
• Look at trends, not single years. A one-year result can reflect a single cohort. Several consecutive years give a clearer picture of how a school is performing.
• Check the neighbourhood, not only the school. Results depend partly on the students enrolled. Pair test data with the school’s catchment area, since the catchment determines which students attend.
• Consider the rest of your criteria. Test results say little about class sizes, programs, or commute times. Check those separately with the school board before deciding.

What the scores do not show

EQAO results measure provincial test performance in specific subjects. They do not capture school culture, special-needs support, or extracurricular offerings. Treat them as one input among several when comparing Ottawa neighbourhoods for families.

What the EQAO Tests Measure

EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) runs the provincial assessments that form the basis for most Ontario school comparisons, according to EQAO (2026). Each test covers one grade or level and one subject, so a school’s result describes only that slice of its students.

When comparing neighbourhoods, apply these checks:

• Compare like with like. Set a Grade 3 result against another Grade 3 result in the same subject. A Grade 9 mathematics score says nothing about Grade 6 reading.
• Read each subject separately. A school can score differently in reading, writing and mathematics, so a single average hides the gap. Check each column of the table above.
• Use a benchmark. Compare each school with its school board and with the province to see whether a result sits above or below the wider average. School-level figures are not listed in this article; pull them from EQAO’s public results for the year you need.
• Look at several consecutive years rather than one. A single year reflects one cohort of students, so a trend is more informative than a single score.

Rankings built on EQAO results: what they show and their limits

School rankings, which are compiled by third parties rather than by EQAO, draw on the school-level results that EQAO publishes. Check which organisation produced a ranking and which EQAO measures it uses. According to EQAO (2026), its assessments cover reading, writing and mathematics at Grade 3 and Grade 6, Grade 9 mathematics, and the secondary-level literacy test (OSSLT) and mathematics proficiency tests. Any comparison of Ottawa neighbourhoods that relies on these rankings is therefore a comparison of test results at specific grade levels, not of the school experience as a whole.

What the ranking shows

A ranking presents school results in a single order, but it can hide differences between grades and subjects, so check which measure it uses. The main value is comparability: because the same provincial tests apply across Ontario, a school in one area can be set against a school in another using the same measure.

Limits to keep in mind

• Tested grades only. A school’s position reflects only the grades that EQAO tests. A school with strong programs in other years does not gain credit for them, and a school without tested grades has no EQAO results to compare.
• Test scores are not teaching quality. A proficiency rate describes how students performed on one assessment on one day. It does not show class size, teacher experience, special-needs support, or extracurricular offerings.
• Student intake shapes results. Schools draw students from their catchment areas, so the population a school serves influences its scores. The official sources consulted do not specify how rankings adjust for this, so treat the raw order as a starting point.
• Small cohorts swing. In a small school, a few students can move the percentage noticeably from one year to the next. Comparing one year alone can mislead.

How to use a ranking when comparing neighbourhoods

1. Identify which EQAO test a ranking uses. A Grade 3 result and an OSSLT result answer different questions.
2. Compare the same grade and subject across schools, not an overall score.
3. Check several consecutive years of results for each school to see whether performance is stable.
4. Set the results against non-academic factors that affect daily life, such as commute time, transit access and the cost of housing within each catchment.

Matching schools and neighbourhoods: catchment zones

To compare school ratings by neighbourhood, first link each school to the area it serves. A school’s results describe the students enrolled there, which may not match every home in the surrounding area. Confirm which catchment zone a property falls in before using a school’s rating as a signal about that location.

Use the EQAO results as the performance layer. According to EQAO (2026), the provincial assessments cover these tests:

The method for linking these results to neighbourhoods:

1. Locate the catchment boundary. Use the school board’s published attendance map or its address lookup tool. Check the current version, since boundaries can be revised.
2. Map the catchment onto neighbourhood boundaries. A neighbourhood can fall within several catchments, and one catchment can cross neighbourhood lines. Record the share of each neighbourhood a school covers, not just the school’s name.
3. Match results to the correct level. Compare elementary results (Grades 3 and 6) with other elementary results, and secondary results (OSSLT, mathematics proficiency) with other secondary results.
4. Note the year and the test. Keep each score tied to its year, so that a single weak or strong year does not stand in for a trend.

The official sources consulted do not specify how much of a test score reflects the school itself rather than the characteristics of its student body, so treat ratings as one input among several, alongside transport access, housing prices and services.

Do school ratings raise home prices?

Buyers often assume that a higher-rated school lifts nearby house prices. Testing that requires two separate steps: collecting a school’s measured results, and comparing recorded sale prices of similar homes in the same area. The EQAO assessments supply the first input. According to EQAO (2026), its provincial assessments measure reading, writing and mathematics at Grade 3 and Grade 6, Grade 9 mathematics, and secondary-level literacy and mathematics proficiency. These results are the basis for most Ontario school comparisons.

Because the tests cover different grades and subjects, a single headline score can hide wide differences. The method below keeps those differences visible.

• Collect results by test, not by summary. Record each school’s Grade 3, Grade 6, Grade 9 and secondary results separately, so a strong primary score is not confused with a secondary one.
• Check which grades the school actually teaches. A school without secondary grades has no OSSLT or secondary mathematics results, so comparing it on those measures is not meaningful.
• Match on the property, not the postcode. Compare sale prices of homes with similar size, age and type inside the same catchment or within a short distance of each other.
• Read the price gap as a question, not an answer. A premium near a well-rated school may reflect other neighbourhood features that come with it.

Non-rating factors: transport, services, demographics

School results are only one input when comparing Ottawa neighbourhoods. EQAO’s provincial assessments cover reading, writing and mathematics at Grade 3 and Grade 6, Grade 9 mathematics, and the secondary literacy (OSSLT) and mathematics proficiency tests, and according to EQAO (2026) these results form the basis of most Ontario school comparisons. They describe how students perform on those tests, not how easy it is to get to school, what daily life costs in that area, or who lives there. Those factors need a separate check.

Transport is the first to verify. For each candidate neighbourhood:

• Map the walking distance from a typical home to the nearest transit stop, school, grocery store and workplace.
• Check the bus routes and whether rapid transit is within reach.
• Compare commute times at the hours you would actually travel, not only off-peak.

Services cover the everyday needs that a school score does not capture: healthcare clinics, pharmacies, childcare, parks, libraries and recreation centres. Make a list of what you use weekly and count how many are within a short walk or drive. A neighbourhood with strong schools but few nearby services may still require frequent long trips.

Demographics describe the population: household size, age profile, and the share of families or single-person households. Use the most recent census figures published for each area, and compare them against your own household profile rather than treating any one profile as better.

Record each factor for every neighbourhood on the same scale before weighing them against school results.

How to compare two Ottawa neighbourhoods step by step

Comparing school quality between two Ottawa neighbourhoods starts with EQAO results, the standardized test data behind most Ontario school comparisons, according to EQAO (2026). The method is to match each neighbourhood to its schools, pull the same test results for each school, and compare like with like.

Step 1: Define each neighbourhood’s boundaries. Use the boundaries the city publishes for each area, and note any streets that sit on the edge, since a single block can fall into a different school’s catchment.

Step 2: Identify which schools serve each address. Attendance areas are set by school boards, not by neighbourhood names. Confirm the school assigned to each address directly with the relevant board, because a neighbourhood can be served by several schools at different levels.

Step 3: Collect the EQAO results for each school. EQAO assessments cover the following tests:

Step 4: Compare the same measure across both sets of schools. Line up identical grades and subjects. A Grade 3 reading result cannot be compared with a Grade 9 mathematics result, and a school with only elementary grades cannot be scored against one that runs to Grade 12 without noting the difference.

Step 5: Record the year of each result. Keep the reporting year beside every figure so that a one-year change is not mistaken for a trend.

Test scores describe how students performed on specific assessments. They do not isolate the effect of the school itself, so treat the comparison as one input alongside the other factors you are weighing for each neighbourhood.

Frequently asked questions

Where do Ottawa school ratings come from?

Most school comparisons in Ottawa use results from the provincial tests run by EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office), according to EQAO (2026). Rankings are compiled by third parties from this school-level data, so check which organisation produced a ranking and which EQAO measures it uses.

Can I compare a Grade 3 score with a Grade 6 score?

No. Each grade uses a different test and a different group of students, so the results are not directly comparable. Make a like-for-like comparison by matching the grade and subject, and use the same secondary test when comparing high schools.

Does a school’s rating show how safe or liveable a neighbourhood is?

No. A school’s results reflect the students who enrol there, and the catchment area determines which school a home is assigned to. Check the catchment boundary for a specific address before treating a school’s results as a guide to that neighbourhood.

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