These are some of the best and worst performing schools in Ontario, according to a new ranking

The Fraser Institute ranked 747 public, Catholic and independent high schools across the province based on seven indicators derived from provincial test results

A new report has ranked hundreds of Ontario’s secondary schools and four institutions in the GTA have topped the list with a perfect score.

The Fraser Institute ranked 747 public, Catholic and independent high schools across Ontario based on seven indicators derived from provincial test results.

This year four schools were awarded a perfect score and all of them were located in the GTA—Thornhill’s St. Robert Catholic High School, Richmond Hill’s St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School, Markham’s St. Augustine Catholic High School and Toronto’s St. Michael’s Choir School.

Some of the lowest ranked schools in the GTA included Mississauga’s West Credit Secondary School (738th), Brampton’s Judith Nyman Secondary School (739th) and North York’s Westview Centennial Secondary School (733^rd), George S Henry Academy (724^th) and Emery Collegiate Institute (709^th). Emery Collegiate Institute, it should be noted, did see its score improve from it’s five-year average while the other two schools saw year-over-year declines.

The Fraser Institute says the rankings are intended to provide parents with information “they can’t easily get anywhere else, about how schools perform over time and how they compare to other schools in Ontario.”

But the group says the data proves that “schools can improve student performance regardless of which communities and students they serve.”

To that end, the Fraser Institute highlighted two GTA schools which it said are among the fastest improving secondary institutions in the province.

Central Technical School in Toronto recorded a score of 4.2 in this year’s rankings, up from 0.2 in 2018 when it was among the lowest ranked schools in Ontario.

The Fraser Institute says that school was able to see those improvements despite the fact that 29.7 per cent of its students have special needs and require additional support.

Abbey Park High School in Oakville, meanwhile, saw its score rise from 8.1 to 9.3, placing it eighth among all Ontario schools.

The Fraser Institute says it was able to do this with a high percentage of students—13.9 per cent—who are English language learners.

“It doesn’t matter where a school is ranked, or what challenges its students may face. The evidence is clear—all types of schools, located all over the province with different types of students, are all capable of improvement,” Paige MacPherson, a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute, said in a press release.

The Fraser Institute rankings are based on indicators derived from the Ontario-wide tests of literacy and mathematics skills that are administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).

The authors of the report say the rankings “alerts parents to those nearby schools that appear to have more effective academic programs” while also helping them “determine whether schools of interest are improving over time.”

“The act of publicly rating and ranking schools attracts attention and this can provide motivation. Schools that perform well or show consistent improvement are applauded. Poorly performing schools generate concern, as do those whose performance is deteriorating,” the report states. “This inevitable attention provides an incentive for all those connected with a school to focus on student results.”

Here is a look at the top 10 and bottom 10 ranked schools in Ontario, according to the Fraser Institute.

Top 10 ranked schools (including ties)

1 - St. Robert Catholic High School (Thornhill)

1 - St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School (Richmond Hill)

1 - St. Michael’s Choir School (Toronto)

1 - St. Augustine Catholic High School (Markham)

5- Ursula Franklin Academy (Toronto)

6- Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School (Markham)

7 - Olive Grove High School (Mississauga)

8 -Iroquois Ridge High School (Oakville)

8 - Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts (Toronto)

8 - Abbey Park High School (Oakville)

8 - Gaétan-Gervais Secondary School (Oakville)

Bottom 10 ranked schools (including ties)

742 - Manitouwadge High School (Manitouwadge)

742 - École secondaire catholique et publique l’Alliance (Iroquois Falls)

742 - St. Luke Catholic Learning Centre (Maple)

742 - St. Matthew Catholic Secondary School (Cornwall)

742 - Vezina Secondary School (Attawapiskat)

742 – College Heights Secondary School (Guelph)

741 - Ottawa Technical Secondary School (Ottawa)

740 – Northern Lights Seconday School (Moosonee)

739 – Judith Nyman Secondary School (Brampton)

738 – West Credit Secondary School (Mississauga)