New report shows two Region of Waterloo elementary schools leading in academic performance

Two elementary schools in the Region of Waterloo are some of the best in Ontario, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute research group.

The report, released on Thursday, gives elementary schools a score out of 10 based on the average results of their Grade 3 and Grade 6 provincial testing for reading, writing and math. The school rankings are meant to help analyze and compare the academic performance of each school.

The International School of Cambridge and New Dundee Public School both received a 10 this last school year. There were 20 other schools in Ontario that also scored 10.

“There’s all sorts of reasons why you would want to send your child to a school, not the least of which being if they're very close to the home,” Peter Cowley, a senior researcher at the Fraser Institute, said. “But really, I think the place to start would be to say: ‘Let's look at how this individual school is doing.’”

Two of the top ranking schools in Waterloo Region are private institutions. The International School of Cambridge and the Ontario Muslim Academy in Cambridge, which got a score of 9.3.

Only one Catholic school is in the top 10, St. Agnes Catholic Elementary School in Waterloo with a score of 8.1.

On the other end of the rankings, the institutions with the lowest scores in the region are a mix of Catholic and public schools.

The Fraser Institute notes the rankings should not be the only information parents or guardians use when choosing a school, as they only reflect academic performance and not other programs offered at a school.

Although there are a number of factors that can impact test scores, said Cowley, lower ranked schools can use the report card to see if there is a higher ranked school locally that they could learn from.

"That might be something the one school never even thought of. So if you can go and find your people down the road, maybe you'll come up with something that can really be useful," Cowley advised.

Elementary schools that don’t offer Grade 6 were not included in the rankings, as were some single-track French immersion schools and private schools, since they aren’t required to do Grade 3 testing.

Top 10 schools in Waterloo Region

• International School of Cambridge: Cambridge – 10
• New Dundee Public School: New Dundee – 10
• Abraham Erb Public School: Waterloo – 9.3
• Ontario Muslim Academy: Cambridge – 9.3
• Laurelwood Public School: Waterloo – 9.1
• Vista Hills Public School: Waterloo – 9.1
• N. A. MacEachern Public School: Waterloo – 8.8
• Millen Woods Public School: Waterloo – 8.6
• St. Agnes Catholic Elementary School: Waterloo – 8.1
• Williamsburg Public School: Kitchener – 8.1

Bottom 10 schools in Waterloo Region

• St. Peter Catholic Elementary School: Cambridge – 1.5
• Cedarbrae Public School: Waterloo – 1.8
• Rockway Public School: Kitchener – 2.6
• St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School: Kitchener – 2.7
• Hillside Public School (A. R. Kaufman): Kitchener – 3.1
• Trillium Public School: Kitchener – 3.2
• Prueter Public School: Kitchener – 3.5
• Manchester Public School: Cambridge – 3.8
• Queen Elizabeth Public School: Kitchener – 3.8
• St. John’s Catholic Elementary School: Kitchener – 3.8