St Michael is not a simple weaker-versus-stronger comparison. The Grade 6 public indicators are softer, but enrolment has grown, and the school serves a meaningfully different student context than the nearby public schools.
Old North school comparison
This is a simple comparison of the three school buildings inside the Old North boundary against the London elementary median. It is a public indicator read, not a complete school-quality ranking.
Public indicator table
The table compares the school against the matching London board-type median and the all-London elementary median. These are public indicators, not a promise about any individual classroom.
| Indicator | St Michael Separate School | London Catholic elementary median | London elementary median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 math | 64% | 62% | 59% |
| Grade 3 reading | 74% | 76% | 70% |
| Grade 3 writing | 74% | 66% | 60% |
| Grade 6 math | 25% | 52% | 48% |
| Grade 6 reading | 56% | 88% | 82% |
| Grade 6 writing | 48% | 85% | 80% |
Student context matters
These fields help explain why raw school-to-school comparisons need care. A serious homeowner guide should show the context instead of pretending one percentage tells the whole story.
The data is less tidy here
St Michael Separate School is inside Old North on Maitland Street and gives the neighbourhood an in-boundary Catholic JK-8 option. That matters for families who are specifically looking at Catholic education rather than simply comparing every elementary school on one list.
The current public indicators are mixed. Grade 3 numbers are more moderate; Grade 6 math, reading, and writing sit below the London Catholic elementary medians in the same source. At the same time, the school has a much higher reported new-to-Canada non-English context than the two Old North public schools, which is exactly why a blunt ranking would be a poor read.
Enrolment is the counter-signal
The official enrolment trend file shows St Michael growing from 300 students in 2018-2019 to 425 in 2024-2025. That is a very different signal from the combined performance average alone.
For a homeowner guide, the honest reading is this: the school is active, growing, and locally relevant, but the academic indicators require more nuance than the public-school comparisons. Parents should ask current-program questions, not just look at a percentage table.
The homeowner read
For Catholic-school buyers, St Michael gives Old North a real local option rather than forcing the school conversation entirely outside the neighbourhood. That is useful, especially for families who want the old-house location but still care about a Catholic JK-8 path.
For sellers, the mistake would be trying to make St Michael sound like Old North Public. The better angle is specific: Catholic elementary option, in-neighbourhood location, growing enrolment, and a buyer should verify fit directly with the school and board.
Nearby schools people compare against
These schools are useful context for buyers and parents, but they are not the same thing as being inside Old North. Secondary schools and French immersion options especially need address-by-address verification.
| School | Type | Old North context | Enrolment | Public indicators |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northbrae Public School | Public JK-8 | 0.5 km from boundary | 445 | 67% elementary indicator average |
| Louise Arbour French Immersion Public School | Public JK-8 | 0.6 km from boundary | 645 | 77% elementary indicator average |
| Knollwood Park Public School | Public JK-8 | 0.8 km from boundary | 375 | 34% elementary indicator average |
| Woodfield French Immersion Public School | Public JK-8 | 1.0 km from boundary | 285 | 78% elementary indicator average |
| University Heights Public School | Public JK-8 | 0.6 km from boundary | 310 | 78% elementary indicator average |
| London Central Secondary School | Public 9-12 | 1.0 km from boundary | 990 | 80% Gr 9 math / 93% OSSLT |
| Catholic Central High School | Catholic 9-12 | 1.4 km from boundary | 1180 | 57% Gr 9 math / 77% OSSLT |
| H B Beal Secondary School | Public 9-12 | 1.4 km from boundary | 1640 | 53% Gr 9 math / 77% OSSLT |