Finding a Home in a Good School District

Finding a home in a good school district is perhaps one of the most common ‘must haves’ on my clients’ lists.

If you’re looking for a new home and you have a family, or are thinking of starting one, school catchment zones are important.

Boundary lines can be tricky. It can be a difference of one street over, or even just your address number. So you need to make sure that when you’re searching online (or in person), that you’re sticking with properties that fall within a school zone that you feel comfortable sending your kids to school in.

Finding Your School District Within London, St. Thomas and Woodstock

If you’re moving within London, St.Thomas or even as far as Woodstock, you’ll want to visit the The Thames Valley District School Board’s (TVDSB) website to make sure that the dream home you found has a matching dream school district.

On their site you can search any address to find out what school district your prospective home falls into.

The Catholic School Board also has a school catchment map that can help you out, though they clearly say on their website not to rely on its accuracy, so perhaps a phone call might be best before you make a big move.

In any case, the 5 seconds it will take you to search and/or confirm with the board can make all the difference between placing a confident offer, or having a very, very disappointing September.

Comparing Schools

There are a lot of different ways to compare schools, some with measures you can quantify, and others that you cannot.

Education Quality and Accountability Office Scores (EQAO)

I have several teachers within my social circle, and all of them agree that The Province of Ontario's Education Quality and Accountability Office, or the EQAO, is the place to look when you want to assess whether a school is good or not.

Conveniently, you can check out your prospective school’s EQAO scores online.

I should note that their definition of ‘good’ has to do with an objective measuring system. The EQAO scores measure the number of students at or above the provincial standard in subjects like math reading, and writing and scores them on a percentage basis. This includes private, Catholic and Separate schools as well.

I also want to highlight that while these scores are important, they aren’t the be all, end all, when it comes to deciding if a school is good or not.

A School’s Reputation and Specialization

As great as it is to review EQAO scores, there can be other factors that go into play when it comes to determining what makes a ‘good school.’

After all, just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what makes a school good vs. bad can depend a lot on what you value and need. For example, you may be evaluating:

• Whether your child will have access to before and after school programs (note: in London, Ontario

• If the school has a reputation for being conservative, progressive, arts-based, or technical.

• If your children have friends who are attending and it’s important that they be together (or alternatively, that they have some separation if the influence between them is not good).

• Or maybe you’ve heard good or bad things about the school through your own friends, family, acquaintances or Reddit… Let’s not forget Reddit! :)

All of the above can factor into your subjective view of what makes a school good for your own children.

Comparing two schools within a district: Our family’s story

My wife and I grew up in different school systems. She went to an english catholic school, whereas I went to a french-immersion public school. So, when it came time for our first daughter to enter the school system, we had a big discussion on our hands.

We are lucky enough that our neighbourhood has access to a wide variety of options - from french catholic to english public, french immersion and straight up french school.

In the end, we narrowed it down to two options. Two schools that had excellent reputations. We spoke to friends who had older kids enrolled in each school, and everyone had wonderful things to say about their own educational institution.

Having two great choices is great… except when you really have to make a decision.

The big crux of the matter for us was whether our daughter’s education would happen in French immersion or not.

In the end, we communicated with both schools, and were open with the fact that we were making a decision but were unsure. Both schools were offering open houses that were just 24 hours apart, and we got permission from the schools to attend both.

Seeing our child in each school. Watching her reactions and testing out the vibe for ourselves ended up being the ultimate decision maker. In the end, it was unanimous, and we were able to make a decision on which school without a shadow of a doubt.

Moral of the story?

Visit the schools if you can.

As much as you can research online, there’s no substitute for experiencing it firsthand.

Daycares

While access to daycare isn’t restricted based on your location, having childcare that’s close to home isn’t just convenient, it’s also comforting to know that even while you’re apart, you’re still close.

I remember when a friend asked my then pregnant wife if she had registered for daycare yet. This was our first baby, and we had a lot more on our mind than registering our unborn daughter for daycare. However, we were glad to have found out that registering early is imperative. Last I heard, the wait could be over a year to secure child care in London.

We got onto the London Ontario OneList shortly after and were glad to be able to get our baby into a centre, just in time for my wife’s mat leave to end.

How School District Affects Home Value

Whether you have children or not, if you have a home that’s located within a highly sought-after school district, the benefits of your location continue to add up.

Homes within these high-demand areas can command competitive prices and can sell faster, especially during the spring market, when buyers are looking to secure a home and move in before the next school season starts in the fall.

Looking for a New Home? I Can Help

If you want help finding a new home, from new builds to a grandma house that you can make your own from top to bottom, I’d love to help you find one that ticks all your boxes, including a great school district. Feel free to drop me a line.

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