2026/27 Guelph Catholic High School Rankings
In many large cities you will have over a dozen high schools to potentially choose from, but in a smaller city like Guelph there are only three Catholic high schools that serve the city.
Still, it’s important to know more information about them and the neighbourhoods they serve. So, let’s take a closer look at the 2026/27 Guelph Catholic high school rankings. Then, feel free to Contact Me with any questions.
1. Bishop Macdonell
Score: 8.4/10
Neighbourhoods: Kortright Hills | Kortright West | Kortright East | South End | Old University
Specialist Programs: IB (International Baccalaureate)
Anywhere south of College Street in Guelph is Bishop Macdonell territory. This means the school serves essentially the entire southern half of the city. And while the school is the newest of the three catholic high schools in Guelph (built in 2004) it actually has a rich history dating all the way back to 1856!
Originally a school for girls, a century would pass before the school would actually become Bishop Macdonell. It was located downtown and operated there until 1995. It was eventually demolished in 2004 with the new location at the southern edge of Guelph opening in September of the same year.
Since that time, Bishop Macdonell has grown to be far and away the top Catholic high school in Guelph. It finishes the year with an overall score that dwarfs its competitors and puts it in line with top Catholic high schools around Ontario.
It has many specialist programs and activities for its students including the popular International Baccalaureate diploma for Grade 11 and 12 students.
Students also get easy access to Larry Pearson Park and the brand new, high-end South End Community Centre. They are both located just behind Bishop Macdonell.
For anyone looking for the best Catholic high schools in Guelph, you’ll want to aim for any neighbourhood south of College Street.
You can check out the following neighbourhood profiles for more information:
Kortright Hills | Kortright West | Kortright East | South End | Old University
2. Our Lady of Lourdes
Score: 5.2/10
Neighbourhoods: West End | Downtown | Onward Willow | Exhibition Park | Old University
Located in Exhibition Park, Our Lady of Lourdes serves the western half of Guelph – specifically anything west of the Speed River and north of College Street (remember anything south of College goes to Bishop Macdonell).
Originally built in 1965, it wasn’t until the mid-1980s that Our Lady of Lourdes became a full high school. Much like St. James, the shut down of Bishop Macdonell’s downtown location led to a reshuffling of boundaries and Our Lady of Lourdes became the de facto Catholic high school for the entire west end of the city. That led to a large increase in its population, so new wings were built in the early 90s.
In terms of school rankings, Our Lady of Lourdes unfortunately fell below the provincial average, but we had seen improving math scores here until this year. Hopefully it was just one down year!
I would never shy away from an entire half of a city strictly because of these scores. You have many neighbourhoods with tight-knit communities and it shows through events that Our Lady of Lourdes puts on like its annual Battle of the Bands, Multicultural Festival and Relay for Life just to name a few.
With a healthy mix of focus on sports, community activities and clubs, the Crusaders have built a solid reputation around the city.
Make sure to check out all of the neighbourhood profiles for the school catchment area:
West End | Downtown | Onward Willow | Exhibition Park | Old University
3. St. James
Score: 5.0/10
Neighbourhoods: North End | East End
Covering the entire east and north end of Guelph east of the Speed River, St. James comes in ranked #3 out of the three Guelph high schools. Admittedly, there’s quite a large gap between Bishop Macdonell and St. James/Our Lady of Lourdes, with the latter two scoring below the provincial average in both math and literacy pass rates.
Originally founded in 1952, it wasn’t until the mid-1980s that St. James became a full high school. It was the shutdown of Bishop Macdonell’s downtown location that led to realignment across the city and St. James became the high school that served most of the north and east ends of Guelph.
This led to a large increase in its population and improvements and new wings were built to accommodate the changes.
St. James has an Arts & Culture program offered as part of the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) programs offered by many boards around Ontario.
The school also offers the LEAP (Leaders in Exercise and Athletics Program) which focuses on high performance athlete development and leadership training through all fours years of high school.
St. James also has many student clubs and councils including an Arts Council, Athletic Council, Environmental Council, SAFE Group (2SLGBTQIA+ and allies), Student Council, Social Justice Council and St. James Voices.
There are many fantastic areas to live in both the east and north ends of Guelph, so I would highly recommend checking out the full neighbourhood profiles: North End | East End
Get All The School Rankings in Guelph
To see the school rankings for the rest of the city, simply scroll down below to download a free copy of this year’s guides OR use any of the links below.
