BESTFORSCHOOL BOARD

Know your school.

All 29 public schools in Waterloo and Wilmot: how full each building is, how big the average class is, when it last got new space, and how many new homes have been permitted in its area. Every number shows its source.

Your address isn’t stored or logged.

29 schools
Colour by
Areas
Go to
Over time2024-25
Loading the map…

How full (2024-25)

  • Under 85%
  • 85–99%
  • 100–119%
  • 120–149%
  • 150% and up
All 29 schools
Tap a dot or a name to open its profile
Ward overview

The ward at a glance

Pick a school on the map, search the list, or enter your address above to open a school’s full profile.

14 of 29schools had more students than permanent places in 2024-25
1974median year the original building was built
2 of 29at or past the 65% line the board’s plan uses for a building in poor condition
97%how full the median school was in 2024-25

Most over capacity

  1. 1LexingtonJK–6 · Waterloo314%
  2. 2Winston ChurchillJK–6 · Waterloo148%
  3. 3Centennial7–8 · Waterloo141%
  4. 4=GrandviewJK–6 · New Hamburg128%
  5. 4=LaurelwoodJK–8 · Waterloo128%

Oldest buildings

  1. 1New DundeeJK–6 · New Dundee1928
  2. 2Elizabeth ZieglerJK–6 · Waterloo1931
  3. 3GrandviewJK–6 · New Hamburg1949
  4. 4MacGregor7–8 · Waterloo1951
  5. 5EmpireJK–6 · Waterloo1953

Most new and proposed homes

  1. 1MacGregor7–8 · Waterloo9,097
  2. 2Waterloo CI9–12 · Waterloo7,594
  3. 3Winston ChurchillJK–6 · Waterloo5,376
  4. 4EmpireJK–6 · Waterloo2,623
  5. 5Bluevale CI9–12 · Waterloo1,336

Permitted since 2019 plus proposed, inside each school’s attendance area. High-school and grade 7–8 areas contain several elementary areas, so these overlap. Waterloo only for now.

We rank buildings, not students. You won’t find a ranking of test scores or family income here.

Coming up

West Waterloo boundary review · Abraham Erb, Edna Staebler, Laurelwood and Vista Hills

  1. November 23, 2026Staff share their draft recommendation
  2. December 6, 2026Comments close (the board's FAQ says December 7)
  3. December 9, 2026Noon deadline to register as a delegation
  4. December 14, 2026Final report and Board decision
  5. September 2027Any boundary changes take effect

Elizabeth Ziegler: classes are due back in the restored building in September 2027.

Compare two schools

Sources for the ward figures and the map

  1. Ontario Ministry of Education, enrolment by school, 2024-25

    October 31 headcount. The Ministry rounds to the nearest five from 2018-19 on; earlier years in the same series (back to 2011-12) are exact counts.

  2. School Utilization in Ontario, Western University

    Ministry School Facility Inventory System records: permanent capacity by year, 2014-15 to 2020-21, used for the map's year-by-year view.

  3. WRDSB 2020-2030 Long-Term Accommodation Plan, Figure 12

    The plan's condition bands: over 65% poor, 40 to 64% fair, under 39% excellent. PDF page 30.

  4. City of Waterloo, building permits open data

    New residential units permitted January 2019 to August 21, 2026, placed in the school's 2026-27 boundary. Gross: demolitions aren't subtracted. City of Waterloo only.

  5. EngageWR, City of Waterloo development planning projects

    Active development applications, read August 23, 2026.

  6. WRDSB school boundary and location maps, 2026-27

    The board's ArcGIS boundary layers, read September 30, 2026.

  7. Region of Waterloo address register

    Every civic address in Waterloo and Wilmot, read November 2, 2026.

  8. WRDSB, West Waterloo Boundary Review

    Review timeline and the two scenarios published in October 2026. Page read November 2, 2026.

  9. WRDSB, West Waterloo Boundary Review: frequently asked questions

    Feedback form open to December 7; delegation registration by noon December 9. Read November 2, 2026.

  10. Elizabeth Ziegler PS website: Update on repair and restoration (June 2, 2026)

    “The school remains closed and is on track to open in September 2027.”

  11. WRDSB 2020-2030 Long-Term Accommodation Plan

    Permanent capacity (on-the-ground) and Facility Condition Index for every school; definition of on-the-ground capacity on PDF page 106.

Each school’s page lists the source for every one of its figures.

Inferred from public documents, not a current account. Spot something wrong? brian@best4schoolboard.com

Read this first

Everything on these pages is inferred from public documents: Ministry of Education data, school board reports and meeting packages, school websites, and City of Waterloo open data.

It is not a current or complete account of any school. Most figures are a year or more old, some are our own calculations from those documents, and things at the school may have changed since. Check with the school or the board before you rely on a number.

Enrolment and capacity
October 2024 headcount
Building condition
2017 to 2020 assessments
Class sizes
September 2025 count
Staff lists
School websites, read November 2, 2026
New homes
City permits issued to August 21, 2026

Found something wrong or out of date? Email brian@best4schoolboard.com and it gets fixed.