Author: Real Insights Group Team Date: December 2, 2025
The release of the Fraser Institute’s annual school rankings is always a marquee event in the Ontario real estate calendar. While educators look at the scores, we at the Real Insights Group look at the zones.
The 2025 Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools has just dropped, and the results confirm a trend we’ve been tracking for years: York Region and Oakville are solidifying their status as the premier academic (and investment) corridors in the province.
Here is our breakdown of the 2025 winners and the real estate markets they anchor, providing data-driven commentary for the discerning buyer.
🏆 The "Perfect" Score Club (10/10)
This year, four schools achieved a perfect 10/10 rating. If you own property in these catchment areas, you are sitting on a highly liquid asset—a home with a maximum "school zone premium."
St. Robert Catholic High School (Thornhill)
St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic High School (Richmond Hill)
St. Augustine Catholic High School (Markham)
St. Michael’s Choir School (Toronto)
The Real Estate Insight from Real Insights Group:
York Region Dominance: Three of the four top schools are in York Region (Thornhill, Richmond Hill, Markham). This concentration of excellence is a primary driver for the price resilience we see in these suburbs. Detached homes in the St. Robert and St. Therese zones command significant premiums because they offer the "suburban dream"—large lots paired with elite public education that rivals private tuition.
The Downtown Outlier: St. Michael’s Choir School in downtown Toronto is a unique case. Located in the Church-Yonge Corridor, this area offers a surprising "value" entry point. While the school is specialized, the surrounding real estate is condo-heavy, with median prices significantly lower than the freehold-heavy zones of York Region.
📈 The Heavy Hitters (9.0+)
The full list of schools scoring 9.0 or higher identifies the next tier of "blue chip" neighborhood’. Since multiple schools share a score, this list includes all 19 schools tied for the top 18 ranks, from 10.0 down to 9.0.
York Region (The Undisputed Heavyweight)
York Region continues to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of public education in Ontario. The density of high-ranking schools here translates directly into high demand for homes.
Pierre Elliott Trudeau (Markham) – 9.5: Consistently anchors the high-demand Berczy Village market.
Bur Oak Secondary (Markham) – 9.3: A key driver for the Wismer community, popular with families seeking newer detached homes.
Bayview Secondary (Richmond Hill) – 9.2: Famous for its IB program, this school keeps demand in the Rouge Woods area perpetually high.
Markville Secondary (Markham) – 9.2: Serves the central Markham area, supporting values near the Markville Mall corridor.
Unionville High School (Unionville) – 9.0: A staple of academic excellence, sustaining high property values in the Old Town and surrounding areas.
Thornlea Secondary (Thornhill) – 9.0: Adds another strong option for Thornhill buyers, specifically in the East Willowdale/Thornhill border area.
Oakville (Halton Region)
Oakville's reputation as a family haven is backed by hard data. It is rare to see this many top-tier schools in a single municipality.
Abbey Park – 9.3: Located in the prestigious Glen Abbey neighbourhood.
Iroquois Ridge – 9.3: Anchors the north-east Oakville market, known for larger executive homes.
Gaétan-Gervais – 9.3: A top-tier French-language option that expands the buyer pool in its catchment.
Oakville Trafalgar – 9.2: The historic powerhouse serving south-east Oakville, often associated with the luxury custom home market.
City of Toronto
While the city is vast, academic excellence is concentrated in specific, highly desirable pockets that savvy investors target.
Ursula Franklin Academy – 9.7: A highly specialized school boosting desirability in the High Park/Junction area.
Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts – 9.3: Located in North York, this specialized arts school draws talent from across the city, boosting local rental and freehold demand.
Bloor Collegiate Institute – 9.2: Significant achievement for this west-end school, signalling growth in the Dufferin-Grove/Bloordale area.
Lawrence Park Collegiate – 9.1: Serves one of Toronto’s most affluent neighbourhoods, reinforcing the stability of property values in Lawrence Park.
Malvern Collegiate Institute – 9.1: A consistent high-performer anchoring the popular Beaches and Upper Beaches communities.
Leaside High School – 9.1: A top-tier school driving high property demand in the Leaside
City of Mississauga
Mississauga's only entry in the 9.0+ club is an independent school, which significantly influences buyer activity in its central region.
🚀 The "Improvers": Where to Look for Future Growth
As investors, we always look for the up-and-coming areas. The report highlighted schools like Georges-P-Vanier in Hamilton and Central Technical School in Toronto as fast improvers.
Strategy: Buying in a district with a rapidly improving school can be a smart long-term play. As the school's reputation rises, demographic shifts often follow, leading to gentrification and property appreciation that outpaces the market average. The Real Insights Group tracks these changes closely to help clients secure future equity.
🔑 The Bottom Line
In Ontario, a school district is never just about education—it’s about equity. The 2025 rankings reaffirm that Markham, Richmond Hill, and Oakville remain the "blue chip" stocks of the school-zone real estate market. For buyers, this sometimes means more competition in these catchments. For sellers, it means you hold a powerful negotiating card.
Want to know exactly which homes fall into any particular School Catchment? Contact the Real Insights Group today for a custom list of available properties in Ontario's top-ranked school zones.
Source: Fraser Institute Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools 2025
