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.

• Olive Grove School – 9.4: A top-tier independent Islamic school, attracting families to the central Mississauga area seeking this elite institution.

🚀 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

The latest numbers from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) reveal that the Greater Toronto Area housing market continued to favor buyers in October 2025, as more listings came onto the market and prices adjusted downward. With softer demand and improved affordability, many homebuyers are finding opportunities that weren’t available in previous years.

With lower mortgage rates and reduced selling prices, monthly payments are now more manageable for qualified buyers. Those confident in their job stability may find that this is an ideal time to make a move before the market picks up again.

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The latest October 2025 stats from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) paint a clear picture: the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) housing market continues to lean in favor of buyers. With home sales dipping and new listings climbing, those who are ready to make a move could find opportunities that simply weren’t available a year ago.

According to TRREB, GTA REALTORS® reported 6,138 home sales through the MLS® System in October — down 9.5% from October 2024. On the other hand, new listings rose by 2.7%, reaching 16,069 homes.

This shift means more options for buyers to choose from, and sellers are feeling the pressure to price more competitively.

💰 Prices and Mortgage Trends

The average selling price in October 2025 was $1,054,372, marking a 7.2% decrease year-over-year. The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) also dropped 5% compared to last year.

But here’s the silver lining: mortgage rates have eased, and with prices down, monthly payments are becoming more manageable for many buyers.

As TRREB Chief Information Officer Jason Mercer explained, “The monthly mortgage payment for an average-priced GTA home continued to trend lower in October, benefitting from both lower borrowing costs and lower selling prices.”

This combination is giving confident buyers, especially those secure in their employment — a rare opportunity to enter the market under more affordable conditions than we’ve seen in recent years.

While lower prices are good news for buyers, many are still hesitant due to economic uncertainty. TRREB President Elechia Barry-Sproule noted that although some buyers are taking advantage of the current affordability, others remain on the sidelines, waiting for clearer signals about the economy.

Month-over-month data also shows that sales and new listings both dipped slightly from September, suggesting the fall market cooled off earlier than usual.

📌 What the Recent Bank of Canada Rate Cut Means

On October 29, 2025, the Bank of Canada lowered its target for the overnight rate by 25 basis points to 2.25%.

This move is significant for the real estate market for several reasons:

• Lower overnight rates typically influence borrowing costs, including mortgage interest rates, which can make homes more affordable for buyers.

• With the central bank signalling that this cut might be one of the last in this cycle unless inflation or growth deviate significantly, the room for further rate relief may be limited.

• For those considering buying or investing, this rate cut strengthens the argument for acting now before rates potentially rise or remain flat for longer.

In short: lower central-bank rates + lower home prices = enhanced opportunity for qualified buyers. For sellers, it means being realistic about pricing and preparing for competition.

Looking ahead, TRREB CEO John DiMichele emphasized the importance of housing as “essential economic infrastructure” and called for greater collaboration between the public and private sectors. With Ontario’s growing population, he pointed to the need for more innovation, faster construction, and updated government policies, including modernized tax rules and zoning reforms — to meet housing demand.

From my perspective as a local real-estate professional, this is a strategic window for buyers who have been waiting for prices and mortgage rates to align.

While market confidence is still rebuilding, today’s buyers have more negotiation power and less competition compared to the boom years.

If you’re thinking about buying or investing, this could be the right time to explore opportunities especially before market activity picks up again once economic conditions stabilize.

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The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) housing market saw renewed energy in September 2025 moving into the Fall market, with home sales up 8.5% year-over-year, reaching 5,592 transactions, according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB).

The Bank of Canada’s September rate cut encouraged more buyers to jump back in, taking advantage of lower monthly mortgage payments and more choice in listings. With new listings down month-over-month, some segments of the market are beginning to tighten again.

Year over year, prices were down slightly, with the average selling price at $1,059,377—a 4.7% decrease from last year, but largely steady from August.

TRREB experts say a few more rate cuts could further align mortgage payments with buyer incomes, fueling even more activity.

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