Every autumn, the Fraser Institute publishes its Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools — a ranking of 747 public, Catholic, and independent schools based on provincewide academic data. For parents trying to understand Ontario high school ranking or how schools across Ontario compare, it’s the most comprehensive publicly available source. But most families don’t fully understand what the ranking measures, how to use it, or — crucially — what it doesn’t tell them about their specific child. This guide covers all three.
Ontario High School Ranking: The Fraser Institute
The Fraser Institute’s Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools ranks 747 public, Catholic, and independent schools using eight academic indicators derived from provincewide test results. The data comes primarily from EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) assessments — the Grade 9 math test and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
Each school receives an Overall Rating out of 10. The rating is designed to answer one question: “In general, how is the school doing academically compared with others in the report card?”
The eight indicators include:
- Average level of achievement on Grade 9 EQAO math
- Percentage of first-time eligible students who successfully completed the OSSLT
- Percentage of previously eligible students who completed the OSSLT
- Percentage of tests that were assessed below the provincial standard
The Fraser Institute explicitly advises against using the rankings as the sole criterion for school selection, noting that a more holistic approach is appropriate when evaluating educational opportunities.
Ontario High School Ranking: The top-ranked high schools in Ontario 2025
Perfect scores: 10 out of 10
Four schools received a perfect 10/10 score in the 2025 Fraser Institute rankings, and all four are located in the GTA:
- St. Robert Catholic High School — Thornhill
- St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School — Richmond Hill
- St. Augustine Catholic High School — Markham
- St. Michael’s Choir School — Toronto
Three of the four perfect-score schools are Catholic secondary schools in York Region. This reflects a broader pattern in Ontario’s rankings: York Region Catholic schools consistently perform at the top of the provincial rankings, largely reflecting the demographics and community investment of families in that region.
Near-perfect scores: 9.3
Five additional schools tied at 9.3, including Abbey Park High School in Oakville and Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts in Toronto.
Abbey Park’s performance is notable because it achieved this score despite 13.9% of its students being English Language Learners — directly challenging the assumption that high rankings simply reflect affluent demographics. As the Fraser Institute notes, improvement is possible at every school regardless of type, location, and student characteristics.
What the Ontario high school ranking actually measures — and what it doesn’t
Understanding the methodology matters before drawing any conclusions from a school’s position.
The ranking measures aggregate academic outcomes — how students at that school perform on standardised tests on average. It is not a measure of teaching quality in isolation, the school’s programme breadth, class sizes, extracurricular strength, or student wellbeing.
It uses EQAO and OSSLT data specifically. Private schools that do not administer EQAO tests are not ranked, which means many of Ontario’s most academically prestigious independent schools — including Upper Canada College, Branksome Hall, and others — do not appear in the Fraser Institute rankings at all.
Ontario high school rankings reflect the student population, not just the school. A school in a high-income catchment with highly educated parents tends to rank highly partly because of those demographic factors. The Fraser Institute acknowledges this, which is why they also track improvement trajectories — a school rising significantly is often more meaningful than one that has always ranked highly.
A ranked school is not necessarily the best environment for a high-performing child. A student who is significantly above average at a school with a strong Fraser rating may still be under-challenged if the school’s teaching pace is calibrated to a different student profile. The ranking cannot tell you whether your child will be working at their ceiling or coasting comfortably below it.
Ontario high school ranking by region: what the data shows
GTA and York Region
York Region Catholic schools dominate the top of the 2025 provincial rankings, with three of four perfect scores. This region consistently produces some of the highest-ranked schools in the province. The GTA overall has a high concentration of schools above 8.0, reflecting both demographic factors and the density of strong academic programmes in this part of the province.
Ottawa
Colonel By Secondary School in Ottawa is top-ranked in the capital and among the province’s highest-scoring schools, with a strong IB programme and consistent academic performance. Ottawa’s private school sector, while smaller than Toronto’s, includes Ashbury College and Elmwood School among its well-regarded options.
Oakville and Halton Region
Abbey Park High School’s rise from 8.1 to 9.3 is one of the most discussed improvements in recent years. Oakville and the Halton region have several consistently high-performing schools and are regularly cited as among the best areas in Ontario for secondary school options within the public system.
Waterloo Region
Waterloo Region is notable for different reasons — it is home to the University of Waterloo, whose CEMC mathematics contests are the primary competition pathway for high-performing Ontario students. Schools in the Waterloo area often have strong mathematics cultures and higher contest participation rates than provincial averages.
Hamilton and mid-size cities
Georges-P.-Vanier in Hamilton is one of the province’s fastest-improving schools in recent years, rising from a score of 2 out of 10 in 2018 to 7.1 in 2024. This is among the most significant improvement trajectories in the entire report, demonstrating that geographic location and historical ranking are not predictors of future performance.
How to use Ontario high school ranking effectively
The Fraser Institute rankings are a useful tool when used correctly. Here is how to use them:
Use rankings to build a shortlist, not to make a final decision. A school ranking in the top 10% of the province is worth investigating. It doesn’t mean it’s automatically the right school for your child.
Look at trajectory, not just current position. A school that has risen from 6.5 to 8.5 over five years is doing something different — and worth understanding. A school that has held a 9.5 for decades is consistent but not necessarily dynamic.
Cross-reference with programme-specific information. The overall rating aggregates all students at a school. If you’re specifically interested in whether a school’s IB programme, enrichment track, or mathematics department is strong, look for programme-specific data rather than relying solely on the overall score.
Check private schools separately. Most of Ontario’s most academically selective private schools don’t appear in Fraser Institute rankings because they don’t administer EQAO. For independent school comparisons, other sources are needed. See our guides to Toronto private schools and private schools in Ontario for those comparisons.
Use the rankings as one input into a broader school choice conversation. Other factors — commute, class size, school culture, programme offerings, and whether the academic pace matches your child’s level — all matter as much as a numerical rating.
What Ontario high school ranking means for ambitious families specifically
For families with high-performing students — particularly those interested in competition mathematics, enrichment programmes, or competitive university admissions — the Fraser Institute ranking is a less useful metric than for families making more general school choices.
The reason: the ranking measures average outcomes across a school. For a student who is significantly above average, what matters is not how the school performs on average but whether it has programmes, teachers, and a culture that will push that specific student to perform at their actual ceiling.
A school ranked 7.5 that has a dedicated mathematics enrichment programme, strong CEMC contest participation, and a culture of academic ambition may serve a high-performing student better than a school ranked 9.5 with no competition mathematics culture and a teaching pace calibrated to a middle-of-the-distribution student.
For a deeper look at what genuinely challenges a high-performing student beyond school rankings, see our guides to math enrichment and University of Waterloo math contests.
How Think Academy Canada supports Ontario families
Think Academy Canada works with motivated, high-performing students across Canada from Grade 1 through Grade 12, fully online. For Ontario families navigating high school choices, our free diagnostic assessment gives you the one piece of information that school rankings cannot provide: a clear, individual picture of where your own child’s academic skills currently sit.
This matters particularly for families considering competitive academic programmes — IB, TOPS, or independent school admission — where what counts is not the school’s ranking but your child’s specific readiness. Our assessment gives you that picture, alongside free practice resources matched to the results.
FAQs
How does the Fraser Institute rank Ontario high schools?
The Fraser Institute ranks 747 Ontario public, Catholic, and independent schools out of 10 using eight academic indicators derived from provincewide test results, including Grade 9 EQAO math and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Rankings are updated annually with the most recent available data.
Which Ontario high schools received a perfect score in 2025?
Four schools received a perfect 10/10 in the 2025 report: St. Robert Catholic High School (Thornhill), St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School (Richmond Hill), St. Augustine Catholic High School (Markham), and St. Michael’s Choir School (Toronto).
Are private schools included in the Ontario high school rankings?
Only private schools that administer the EQAO tests and allow publication of their results are included. Most of Ontario’s most prestigious independent schools — including Upper Canada College, Branksome Hall, and Bishop Strachan — do not appear in the Fraser Institute rankings.
Is a high Fraser Institute ranking the most important factor when choosing a high school?
No. The Fraser Institute itself advises against using rankings as the sole criterion for school selection. The rating reflects average academic outcomes across a school’s entire student population, not whether a specific school is the right fit for a specific child.
Which region of Ontario has the highest-ranked high schools?
York Region Catholic schools consistently rank among the highest in the province, with three of four perfect scores in 2025 coming from that region. The GTA overall has a high concentration of schools rated above 8.0.
Can a lower-ranked school still be the right choice for a high-performing student?
Yes. A school with a strong enrichment programme, active competition mathematics culture, or specific specialist track may serve a high-performing student better than a higher-rated school without those features, depending on the student’s goals and learning style.
How often does the Fraser Institute update Ontario school rankings?
Rankings are updated annually, with the 2025 edition using 2023-24 provincewide test data as the most recent available. Check fraserinstitute.org for the latest edition each November.
Where can I find the full Ontario high school rankings?
The full rankings are available at fraserinstitute.org and compareschoolrankings.org, where you can search and filter all 747 ranked schools.
What is EQAO and why does it appear in school rankings?
EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) administers provincewide standardised tests in Ontario, including the Grade 9 math assessment and the OSSLT literacy test. These results form the primary data source for the Fraser Institute’s school rankings.
How can Think Academy Canada help with Ontario high school preparation?
Think Academy Canada offers a free diagnostic assessment for students in Grades 1 to 12 across Ontario. The assessment identifies where a student’s academic skills currently sit, giving families a clear, individual starting point for high school preparation — independent of their current school’s ranking.
About Think Academy Canada Think Academy Canada is a K-12 mathematics tutoring programme, part of TAL Education Group. We work with motivated, high-performing students across Canada from Grade 1 through Grade 12, with a focus on curriculum enrichment, SSAT preparation, and competition mathematics including CEMC and AMC. All lessons are delivered online. Follow us on Instagram at @thinkacademyca.
