What Schools Are in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Area and What Are the English Versus French School Board Options for Families

Quebec operates a publicly funded school system with two parallel streams: one in English and one in French. Each stream is administered by a separate school service centre, and families in NDG have access to both, depending on eligibility. Understanding the structure before you move is essential, because where your child can enroll is not simply a matter of preference.

The English School Board Landscape

NDG falls within the territory of the English Montreal School Board (EMSB). The EMSB is one of the largest English-language school service centres in Quebec, covering the island of Montreal and serving tens of thousands of students from kindergarten through secondary school. It administers a network of elementary and high schools, and several of them are located directly in NDG or within a short distance of its borders.

The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) covers the West Island and parts of the off-island suburbs. Families living in NDG are generally not in LBPSB's catchment, but some choose to explore its schools if they are also considering homes further west. If NDG is your target, the EMSB is the English board that applies to your address.

The French School Board Landscape

French-language public schooling in NDG falls under the Centre de services scolaire de Montreal (CSSDM), formerly known as the Commission scolaire de Montreal. The CSSDM is the largest French-language school service centre in Quebec and operates dozens of elementary and secondary schools across the island. NDG, as a densely populated urban neighbourhood, has several CSSDM schools within its boundaries.

The Language Eligibility Rule You Need to Know

Quebec's Charter of the French Language governs who can attend English-language public schools. In general, a child is eligible for English public school if at least one parent received the majority of their primary or secondary schooling in English in Canada. This is called the "certificate of eligibility" and it is issued by the Quebec Ministry of Education. Families who do not qualify under this rule must enroll their children in French public schools, though private English schools operate under different rules.

If you are relocating from another Canadian province, from the United States, or from outside Canada entirely, your eligibility situation may differ. The Ministry of Education's eligibility office is the definitive source. You can find guidance through the NDG Community Council's education resource centre, which compiles local school information and links to official provincial resources in one place.

2. English-Language Schools in and Near NDG

Several English-language public schools operate within NDG or directly on its borders, all under the English Montreal School Board. Catchment boundaries matter: your specific address determines which school your child is assigned to, and those boundaries shift periodically. Always confirm the current catchment map with the EMSB directly before making any enrollment decisions.

English Montreal School Board Schools in NDG

At the elementary level, NDG has historically been served by several EMSB schools. Bancroft Elementary School, located on Benny Avenue, is one of the schools situated within the neighbourhood. Gerald McShane Elementary School, on Fielding Avenue, is another EMSB elementary school that has served parts of NDG. Carlyle Elementary School, near the eastern edge of NDG toward Cote-des-Neiges, is also within reach for some addresses.

At the secondary level, NDG students attending English public school typically continue to EMSB high schools on the island. Westmount High School, located on The Boulevard in neighbouring Westmount, is one of the secondary schools that NDG addresses have historically fed into. Royal Vale School on Earnscliffe Avenue in NDG itself is an EMSB school that runs from kindergarten through secondary and is known for its gifted program, though admission to specialized programs involves an application process separate from standard catchment enrollment.

English private schools also operate near NDG. Lower Canada College on Royal Avenue in NDG is a well-established private school offering instruction from kindergarten through CEGEP preparation, and it is not subject to the certificate of eligibility requirement that governs public English schools. Private schools set their own admission criteria and charge tuition, so they represent a separate track from the public system.

Lester B. Pearson School Board Access from NDG

LBPSB schools are not the default option for NDG addresses, but the board does operate some specialized programs that attract applications from across the island. If you are considering a home in NDG but also weighing properties further west toward Dollard-des-Ormeaux or Kirkland, the LBPSB would become more relevant. For NDG specifically, the EMSB is the applicable English public board, and that is where your first inquiries should go.

3. French-Language Schools in and Near NDG

French-language public schooling in NDG is administered by the CSSDM, and the neighbourhood has a solid concentration of French elementary and secondary schools. All children who do not hold a certificate of eligibility for English public school attend French public school by default, and many eligible families also choose the French system by preference, particularly in a bilingual neighbourhood like NDG.

CSSDM Schools in NDG

Several CSSDM elementary schools are located within NDG's boundaries. École Saint-Pascal-Baylon on Benny Avenue is one of the French Catholic elementary schools operating in the neighbourhood. École Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, situated near the Cote-des-Neiges border, serves another portion of the area. École Sainte-Madeleine on Girouard Avenue is another French elementary school within NDG's residential grid. These schools are neighbourhood schools in the traditional sense, meaning children who live within their catchment zone are assigned to them, though specialty programs may draw students from beyond the zone.

At the secondary level, French public students from NDG typically transition to CSSDM high schools on the island. École secondaire John-F.-Kennedy, located near the Cote-Saint-Luc border, is one secondary school that has historically served NDG students. The CSSDM also administers specialized programs, including international baccalaureate streams and sport-concentration programs, that require separate applications and are open to students from across the board's territory.

Private French-Language Options Near NDG

Quebec has a strong tradition of private secondary schooling, and several French private schools are accessible from NDG. Collège Sainte-Anne, Collège Marie-de-France, and Villa Maria are all within a reasonable distance of NDG, either by public transit or a short drive. Villa Maria, on Decarie Boulevard, is particularly close to NDG's eastern edge. Private schools in Quebec receive partial government subsidies, which keeps tuition lower than in most other provinces, though costs still vary by institution.

NDG's location at the geographic centre of the island makes it practical for families whose children attend school in multiple directions. The neighbourhood is bordered by Westmount to the east, Cote-Saint-Luc to the south, Cote-des-Neiges to the northeast, and the West Island corridor to the west, meaning a wide range of schools in all four directions are reachable without a long commute.

4. How to Research Schools Directly Before You Buy

No real estate website, including this one, can substitute for direct verification with the school boards and the provincial ministry. School catchments change, programs are added or discontinued, and eligibility rules are interpreted case by case. The research steps below give you a clear path to the authoritative answers.

Official Sources to Consult

Start with the school board that matches your language choice. For English public schools, the EMSB website (emsb.qc.ca) has a school finder tool where you can enter your address and see your catchment school. For French public schools, the CSSDM website (cssdm.qc.ca) has a similar lookup. The Quebec Ministry of Education website (education.gouv.qc.ca) is the source for certificate of eligibility applications and rules. For a locally compiled starting point, the NDG Community Council maintains an education resource page that links to board contacts and community programs.

For performance data and program details, Quebec's Ministry of Education publishes school-level data through its official reporting tools. These reports include graduation rates, program offerings, and enrollment numbers. They do not produce a single ranking or score, and that is intentional: the data is meant to inform, not to rank. Reading the raw ministry data directly gives you a more accurate picture than any third-party aggregator.

Questions to Ask on a School Visit

Once you have identified the schools that serve your prospective address, contact each school directly to book a visit before finalizing your purchase. Ask about the specific programs offered at that campus, the language of instruction for core subjects, the availability of enrichment or special education support, and the process for applying to any specialty streams. Ask about before and after school care options, since NDG has several community organizations that run programs adjacent to the public school day. Ask about the language of communication with parents, which matters in a bilingual neighbourhood where some schools send home documents in both languages and others default to one.

How School Proximity Affects NDG Real Estate

NDG is a walkable neighbourhood, and proximity to a school is a practical factor in daily life for many households. The neighbourhood's street grid, centred around Monkland Avenue and Sherbrooke Street West, means that most residential streets are within a 10 to 15 minute walk of at least one elementary school. This walkability is one of the neighbourhood's defining physical characteristics, alongside its stock of detached and semi-detached brick homes from the 1920s through 1950s, its duplexes and triplexes, and its concentration of two and three storey walk-up apartments.

If you are also evaluating the broader Montreal market while considering NDG, it helps to understand how conditions compare across neighbourhoods. The article on which Montreal neighbourhoods are currently in a buyers market versus a sellers market as of September 2026 gives a current read on where NDG sits relative to the rest of the island.

NDG detached homes currently trade in a wide range depending on size and condition, with many properties on streets like Grosvenor, Marchmont, and Wilson sitting in the $900,000 to $1.4 million range as of September 2026. Duplexes and triplexes, which are common throughout the neighbourhood, typically range from $750,000 to $1.1 million depending on unit configuration and lot depth. Condos and ground-floor units in converted buildings tend to start lower, often in the $450,000 to $650,000 range. School proximity is one of several factors that influences where within those ranges a specific property lands.

If you are currently selling a property in NDG and want to understand how to price it given current demand, the article on selling a home in NDG Montreal: pricing and timeline covers the local market dynamics in detail.

Families relocating from outside Quebec often have additional questions about the school system that go beyond which buildings exist in the neighbourhood. The article on who a family relocating to Montreal should call to find a home addresses the broader relocation process and how to coordinate school research alongside a property search.

5. NDG's Broader Education Ecosystem: Beyond the School Boards

The schools in NDG do not operate in isolation from the rest of the neighbourhood's infrastructure. The NDG Community Council, a local non-profit, runs programming that supplements what the school boards offer, including after-school tutoring, language support for newcomers, and referral services for families navigating the Quebec school system for the first time. Their education resource page is a practical first stop for anyone new to the area.

NDG also has a network of daycares and subsidized childcare centres (CPEs) that feed into the school system. Quebec's subsidized childcare system, which charges a fixed daily rate set by the provincial government, is administered separately from the school boards. Waitlists for subsidized spots can be long, and families relocating to NDG are advised to register on the provincial La Place 0-5 system as early as possible, ideally before or immediately upon arriving in the province.

After secondary school, students in Quebec enter the CEGEP system before university, which is a two or three year pre-university or technical program unique to Quebec. NDG is within easy reach of several CEGEPs by public transit. Dawson College, the largest English-language CEGEP in Quebec, is located on Sherbrooke Street West in Westmount, a short bus or metro ride from most NDG addresses. Vanier College is accessible via the 105 bus. On the French side, Cegep du Vieux Montreal and Cegep de Saint-Laurent are both reachable within 30 to 40 minutes by STM transit. This CEGEP access is a practical consideration for households with teenagers approaching the end of secondary school.

Concordia University's Loyola campus is located directly in NDG, on Sherbrooke Street West near Cavendish Boulevard. This campus houses several of Concordia's faculties and gives the neighbourhood a university presence that shapes the area's rhythm, particularly around the academic year. McGill University's main campus is accessible from NDG via the 105 bus to the Guy-Concordia metro station, typically a 20 to 30 minute commute depending on the departure point within the neighbourhood.

NDG's physical layout, with Monkland Avenue as its commercial spine and large parks like Girouard Park and NDG Park providing green space, means that schools are embedded in a walkable residential context rather than isolated on arterial roads. This is a meaningful practical detail for households where children travel to school independently. The neighbourhood's relatively low-speed residential streets and the presence of crossing guards at major intersections during school hours are features worth observing during a property visit.