Ottawa Schools and School Boundaries
Ottawa school boundary research
Ottawa School Boundaries and School Locator Guide
Find the official locator for each of Ottawa’s four publicly funded school boards, then check the address, grade, program and school year that apply to your family.
Start here
Ottawa does not have one city-wide school locator
Families choose among four publicly funded school systems. Each board has its own attendance areas, programs, grade structures and admission process. The correct result depends on the board, complete home address, postal code, student grade, program and school year.
A school assignment and transportation eligibility are separate questions. A locator result may identify a designated school without confirming bus service, and a nearby school may not be the designated school.
Official tools
Choose the right board and open its locator
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
The English public board. Search by full address, grade and program, then review elementary or secondary boundary information where needed.
Ottawa Catholic School Board
The English Catholic board. Its eligibility tool uses address and grade information. Admission requirements and program availability may also affect the result.
Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario
The French public board. Use the French-language locator with the full address and postal code, then review attendance-zone and secondary guidance.
Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est
The French Catholic board. Use the official school finder or interactive map, and confirm admission and assignment details with the board or school.
Five-step check
A reliable school-boundary workflow
- Choose the school system. Start with English public, English Catholic, French public or French Catholic. Admission rules may apply in Catholic and French-language systems.
- Use the complete property address. Enter the municipal street address and postal code. Do not rely on a neighbourhood name, mailing city or the closest school.
- Select the student details. Check grade, program, language pathway and the school year. Run a separate search for each child or program choice.
- Read the result carefully. Look for grade ranges, program notes, temporary accommodation, redirects, transfers and dated boundary notices.
- Confirm before relying on it. Contact the school or board. Check transportation separately because school assignment does not guarantee bus eligibility.
Keep a record. Save the address entered, selected grade and program, school year, result date and any written confirmation from the board or school.
2026-27 context
Read the OCDSB update carefully
The cancelled Elementary Program Review did not produce the proposed broad boundary changes for 2026-27. That statement should not be read as a guarantee that every OCDSB boundary is unchanged. New-school and capital-project decisions, including work connected with Findlay Creek and Riverside South, still need to be checked through the live locator and the relevant project page.
- OCDSB October 16, 2025 parent update (verified 2026-08-25). States that the broad boundary changes proposed through the cancelled Elementary Program Review would not proceed and that no EPR-related boundary changes would be made for 2026-27.
- OCDSB Elementary Programming Changes (verified 2026-08-25). Repeats the 2026-27 EPR boundary statement and notes that some adjustments may occur over time with consultation.
- OCDSB new Findlay Creek school boundary decision (verified 2026-08-25). Shows why individual capital-project boundary decisions must still be checked separately.
- OCDSB Riverside South secondary boundary decision (verified 2026-08-25). Documents a separate new-school attendance-boundary process and final decision.
South Ottawa guides
Continue with a community guide
Each guide provides local context and board-by-board examples to investigate. The examples are starting points only and never replace an address search.
How this guide is built
Source and update policy
Official sources
Information comes from OCDSB, OCSB, CEPEO and CECCE locators, boundary pages and project notices.
No school rankings
The guide does not score or compare school quality. It helps readers find official assignment information.
Dated verification
Links and source facts were last checked on . Re-check before making a decision.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How do I confirm the school for a specific Ottawa address?
Use the applicable board’s official locator with the complete address, postal code and student grade. Then confirm the result directly with the school or board.
Can two homes in the same neighbourhood have different schools?
Yes. Attendance lines can run through a community, and grade, program, language system and board can change the result.
Are the schools listed here guaranteed for my home?
No. They are relevant schools to investigate. Only the board locator and direct board or school confirmation can establish the current result for an address.
Does a school boundary guarantee transportation or a place in every program?
No. Transportation eligibility, program entry, capacity and admission rules are separate questions and must be checked with the responsible board or transportation authority.
Did OCDSB make broad boundary changes for 2026-27 through the cancelled Elementary Program Review?
No. In its October 16, 2025 update, OCDSB said the sweeping changes in the cancelled review would not proceed and that no boundary changes from that process would be made for 2026-27. Separate new-school or project-specific boundary decisions can still apply, so check the current locator and relevant capital-project pages.
Why are there four school locators?
Ottawa has English public, English Catholic, French public and French Catholic systems. Each board controls its own attendance information and admission process.
Important school-boundary disclaimer
Connect school research with your home search
Once you have a specific address and verified board result, use that information alongside price, commute, housing type and neighbourhood fit.