By Jason Polonski, REALTOR® with Right at Home Realty · Last updated: October 2026
Westboro schools include Broadview Public School and Nepean High School, which sit side by side on Broadview Avenue, Hilson Avenue Public School in the Hampton Iona area, and Notre Dame High School for Catholic students in Grades 7 to 12. French-language public and Catholic schools serve the area too. School boundaries in Westboro are changing: the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board approved a West Central Boundary Review in June 2026 that takes effect in September 2027.
For parents buying a home, that makes this one of the most important pages to read before you make an offer. Below is what each school offers, how French Immersion works here, what the 2027 changes mean, and how to confirm the schools for a specific address. For the wider neighbourhood picture, see the Westboro real estate and neighbourhood guide.
Which Public Elementary Schools Serve Westboro?
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board runs the English-language public schools in Westboro. Which one your child attends depends on your exact address and the program you choose.
Broadview Public School
Broadview Public School at 535 Dovercourt Avenue runs from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. According to the school’s own description, it offers full-day bilingual kindergarten, an English program with daily Core French, and Early French Immersion from Grade 1. It has a large yard, two gyms, a library, art and music rooms, and an extended day program before and after school. Graduates go on to Nepean High School next door, which is one reason the streets around Broadview and Dovercourt are so popular with families.
Hilson Avenue Public School
Hilson Avenue Public School at 407 Hilson Avenue serves the eastern side of Westboro and the Hampton Iona area. Under the boundary review, Hilson keeps its English program and adds Early French Immersion, becoming a dual-track school. The rollout starts with JK, SK and Grade 1 in September 2027.
Churchill Alternative School
Churchill has offered the OCDSB’s Alternative program, which the board is phasing out district-wide. The last Junior Kindergarten intake into the Alternative program was September 2025, and the program will be fully phased out by 2035. Under the boundary review, the Churchill site will begin offering Early French Immersion, phased in from 2027. Current students can finish their program, as Kitchissippi Times reported when the changes were first announced.
Elmdale Public School
Elmdale, in neighbouring Wellington Village, also serves some Westboro-area streets. Its programs stay the same, but its attendance boundary is being realigned, and it has a transitional Early French Immersion boundary from 2027 to 2033.
What Is Changing in Westboro Schools in 2027?
The OCDSB’s West Central Boundary Review covered Broadview, Churchill, Elmdale, Hilson Avenue and parts of the Fisher Park and Woodroffe Avenue catchments. The final plan was approved in June 2026 and takes effect in September 2027.
The key changes
- More Early French Immersion seats: Hilson Avenue becomes dual-track, and the Churchill site begins offering Early French Immersion.
- Realigned boundaries: Broadview and Elmdale keep their programs, but some streets will be assigned to different schools, phased in over time.
- Program phase-outs: Middle French Immersion has its last Grade 4 intake in September 2028 and ends by 2033. The Alternative program ends by 2035.
Protections for current families
Students in SK to Grade 8 in 2027 can finish at their current school. Children starting SK in 2027 get a one-time choice between their current school and their newly assigned one. Younger siblings of enrolled students get a one-time option to attend the same school, as long as the family stays in its original catchment.
What this means if you are buying
If you buy a Westboro home in 2026 or 2027, the school listed in an older listing or on a neighbour’s say-so may not be the school your child is assigned. Check the address against the board’s current boundaries and the approved 2027 boundaries before you firm up an offer. Kindergarten registration for 2027 to 2028 opens in January 2027.
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High Schools in Westboro
Nepean High School
Nepean High School at 574 Broadview Avenue is the OCDSB high school for Grades 9 to 12 in Westboro. It opened in 1922, when the area was still part of Nepean Township, and grew out of a program at Broadview Public School. It is known for strong academics and one of the largest interscholastic sports programs in the board. For many families, being in the Nepean High School catchment is a deciding factor when they choose a street.
Notre Dame High School
Notre Dame High School at 710 Broadview Avenue is an Ottawa Catholic School Board school for Grades 7 to 12, with roughly 1,500 students and instruction in English and French. It moved to the Broadview site, the former Highland Park Technical School, in 1994. Grades 7 and 8 are taught in their own wing.
Having both high schools on Broadview Avenue means many Westboro teenagers can walk to school, which is a real quality-of-life advantage over suburban neighbourhoods where most students are bused.
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Catholic, French-Language and Private Options
Catholic elementary schools
The Ottawa Catholic School Board has its own boundaries, which do not match the OCDSB’s. If Catholic education matters to your family, use the OCSB’s school finder for the specific address, and ask about French Immersion and bus eligibility.
French-language schools
Two French-language boards serve Ottawa: the public Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO) and the Catholic Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE). Admission is generally based on French-language education rights under the Charter, with an admissions process for other families. Their schools may be a short drive rather than a walk from Westboro, so check transportation.
Private schools
Several of Ottawa’s best-known independent schools are within easy reach of Westboro. Our guide to Ottawa’s best private schools compares programs, grades and locations.
Getting to School in Westboro
Westboro is one of the few Ottawa neighbourhoods where many children walk to both elementary and high school. Distances are short and most residential streets have sidewalks. Student busing is managed by the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority, and eligibility depends on distance, grade and program, so a child in a French Immersion program may qualify for a bus to a school further away.
Before- and after-school care is part of the decision too. Broadview runs an extended day program, and the Dovercourt Recreation Centre offers after-school care, camps and PD-day programs. Popular programs fill quickly, so register early once you know your move date.
How Schools Affect Westboro Home Prices and Resale
Homes within walking distance of Broadview Public School and Nepean High School are consistently in demand from families, and that demand supports value when you sell. The same is true of streets close to Hilson Avenue, which will gain Early French Immersion in 2027.
Because boundaries are changing, it is worth thinking about resale as well as your own children. A home that will sit inside a sought-after catchment after 2027 is a stronger long-term buy than one that is about to move out of it. Your REALTOR® should check this for each home you consider, and so should you.
School proximity also shapes which homes suit you. Families wanting space near the schools often look at character homes or newer infill homes, and our guide to Westboro’s sub-neighbourhoods shows which pockets sit closest to each school.
A School Checklist for Westboro Home Buyers
- Look up the exact address in the OCDSB and OCSB school locators. Do not rely on a listing description.
- Check the approved 2027 boundaries from the West Central Boundary Review if your child will start school in 2027 or later.
- Decide on your program first: English, Early French Immersion, Catholic or French-language. The right school follows from that.
- Confirm bus eligibility if the assigned school is not walkable.
- Check before- and after-school care availability and waiting lists.
- Walk the route to school at the time your child would actually go.
If you are comparing Westboro with other family neighbourhoods, see Westboro vs Hintonburg and the best family neighbourhoods in Ottawa. To see what is on the market near the schools, browse Westboro homes for sale.
Find a Westboro Home Near the Right School
Jason Polonski has helped hundreds of families buy and sell across Ottawa over more than 15 years. He checks the school assignment for every home his buyers consider, including how the 2027 boundary changes affect it, so you are not relying on outdated information when you make one of the biggest decisions for your family.
His background in construction and the electrical trades also means he looks closely at the house itself, from wiring in a 1940s home to drainage on a new infill lot. If you are selling a home elsewhere in Ottawa to move into Westboro before a school year starts, he coordinates both sides so your timing works. Learn more about Jason, read reviews on his Google Business Profile, or visit the Westboro REALTOR® page. Moving and buying at the same time? Read selling and buying a home at the same time.
Call or text (613) 601-9333 to talk about Westboro schools and homes.
Westboro Schools FAQs
Westboro is served mainly by OCDSB schools including Broadview Public School and Hilson Avenue Public School, with Churchill and Elmdale also serving parts of the area. The assigned school depends on your exact address and program.
Nepean High School on Broadview Avenue is the OCDSB high school for Westboro. Notre Dame High School, also on Broadview Avenue, serves Catholic students in Grades 7 to 12.
Yes. The OCDSB approved the West Central Boundary Review in June 2026, with new boundaries and programs taking effect in September 2027. Current students in SK to Grade 8 in 2027 can stay at their school.
Yes. Broadview offers Early French Immersion from Grade 1, Hilson Avenue adds Early French Immersion from September 2027, and the Churchill site begins offering it from 2027.
The OCDSB is phasing out the Alternative program district-wide, with the last JK intake in September 2025 and full phase-out by 2035. The Churchill site will begin offering Early French Immersion from 2027.
Use the OCDSB school locator for public schools and the OCSB school finder for Catholic schools, and check the approved 2027 boundaries if your child starts school in 2027 or later.
Many can. Broadview Public School and Nepean High School are side by side on Broadview Avenue, and Notre Dame High School is on the same street.
