One of the most important questions I get from families looking at homes in this area is about schools. Where are they, what are the options, and does living in the country mean giving something up on the education front?
The short answer is no. For a mostly rural region, the school options here run deeper than people expect. Public boards, Catholic boards, French language schools, a private school with a 165 year history, and a growing homeschool community. I went through these schools myself, and my own kids are being educated here right now, so this one comes from firsthand experience.
Here's the full picture, area by area.
The Boards
What school boards serve this region?
Four publicly funded systems operate across Prince Edward County, Belleville, Quinte West and Brighton:
| Board | Coverage |
|---|---|
| HPEDSB | English public board for PEC, Belleville and Quinte West |
| ALCDSB | English Catholic board for the same area |
| CEPEO / CECCE | French public and French Catholic boards, both operating schools in Trenton |
| Kawartha Pine Ridge | Public board once you cross into Brighton and Northumberland |
Every one of these is publicly funded, meaning no tuition. Which board your kids can attend depends on where you buy, so it's worth knowing where each one falls on the map before you fall in love with a specific house.
Prince Edward County
Schools in Prince Edward County
The County's public elementary schools are spread across the wards: C.M.L. Snider in Wellington, Kente near Ameliasburgh, Sophiasburgh Central near Demorestville, Athol-South Marysburgh in Cherry Valley, and Massassaga-Rednersville just south of the Bay bridge. Most run JK to Grade 8, so kids stay in their community school right up to high school.
Picton itself doesn't have its own standalone elementary school anymore. Two that used to, Queen Elizabeth and Pinecrest Memorial, were closed and consolidated into Prince Edward Collegiate Institute (PECI) back in 2017 and 2018. That's actually why PECI runs kindergarten through Grade 12 today rather than just being the high school, it absorbed the town's elementary students directly. For secondary, PECI draws students from every corner of the County, over 1,000 in total, and it does a good job of being the community's school in a way that's hard to replicate in a bigger centre.
On the Catholic side, the County has St. Gregory Catholic School in Picton for elementary. And there's real news here: a new $24.5 million St. Gregory is under construction at 175 Talbot Street, bringing 354 new elementary spaces. For a county this size, that's a serious investment in young families, and it says something about where the County is heading.
There's no Catholic high school in the County itself. Catholic families here send their kids to Nicholson Catholic College in Belleville, and I'll tell you exactly what that's like, because I did it.
A Personal Note
My own school story
I went to St. Gregory's in Picton as a boy. It was a small school, and what it gave me more than anything was a wider circle of friends than I would have had otherwise. Kids came in from all over the County, and some of those friendships have lasted to this day.
When high school came, I had a choice to make: PECI in town, or Nicholson Catholic College in Belleville. I chose Nicholson, and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed my years there, and being outside the County for school opened things up for me at an age when that mattered.
The one part I never loved was the bus. That's the real cost of choosing an out of county school, and I'd tell any family weighing the same decision to take it seriously.
Getting from the County to Belleville meant an earlier alarm than my PECI friends had, and a later drop off at the end of the day. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's a real part of the day.
Then I got my driver's license, and everything changed. Driving myself on my own schedule turned the commute from the worst part of the arrangement into no big deal at all. If your teenager is heading toward the same choice, that's worth keeping in mind: the hardest years of the commute are the early ones.
Belleville
Schools in Belleville
Belleville is the region's biggest centre and carries the widest range of options.
| School | Details |
|---|---|
| Centennial Secondary | Public, grades 7 to 12 |
| Nicholson Catholic College | Catholic, 301 Church St, grades 7 to 12, Extended French program. My own high school. |
| Albert College | Private, founded 1857, the oldest co-educational day and boarding school in Canada. Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, day tuition $24,400 to $34,400 depending on grade, five-day boarding from $53,600. Sibling discounts and financial aid available. |
| Sir James Whitney School | Provincial school for the Deaf, one of three in Ontario, JK to Grade 12, ASL and English, day and residential. |
For most families the private option won't be the path, but if you're relocating here and it's part of your plan, it exists, and it has a long reputation behind it. And most people don't know Belleville is home to one of only three provincial Deaf schools in Ontario. For the families who need it, it's a reason to move here all on its own.
Quinte West
Schools in Quinte West and Trenton
Trenton might be the most underrated school town in the region, and the reason is French.
Alongside the full slate of HPEDSB public schools (Bayside, Frankford, North Trenton, Prince Charles, Trent River and V.P. Carswell for elementary, with Trenton High and Bayside Secondary after that) and the Catholic options (St. Mary and St. Peter for elementary, St. Paul Catholic Secondary with Extended French), Trenton has something few towns its size can claim: complete French language education from kindergarten to graduation, on both the public side (Cité-Jeunesse and Marc-Garneau) and the Catholic side (L'Envol, which runs K to 12 and just received $4.9 million in provincial funding for an expansion).
If you're a francophone family, or a military family posting into 8 Wing from Quebec, that's the difference between keeping your kids' French education intact and losing it. Trenton delivers it.
Brighton
Schools in Brighton
Cross into Brighton and you change school boards. Brighton Public School handles elementary under the Kawartha Pine Ridge board, and it's adding a French Immersion stream starting this September, phasing up through the grades in the years ahead. For secondary, East Northumberland Secondary School is right in town on Dundas Street.
Beyond Grade 12
What about after high school?
A family choosing where to put down roots isn't only thinking about kindergarten through Grade 12. Here's what's within reach once the kids get older.
| School | Details |
|---|---|
| Loyalist College | Sits right on the Belleville and Quinte West line, essentially local rather than a commute. Over 65 full-time programs and apprenticeships, plus 70+ university transfer agreements, strong in applied sciences, business, health sciences, justice studies, media and skilled trades. |
| Queen's University | Kingston, about an hour from Picton. Close enough for a commuter student from the County's east end, though most students live in Kingston. |
| Trent University & Fleming College | Peterborough, also within about an hour's drive. Both are named alongside Queen's as regional talent-pipeline schools by the Bay of Quinte's own economic development materials. |
You don't have to choose a home that's convenient to nothing past Grade 12. Loyalist is essentially local, and Queen's, Trent and Fleming all put a real university or college experience inside a manageable drive rather than a full relocation.
Home Education
What about homeschooling?
This one is close to home for us, because it's the path our family has chosen.
Homeschooling is still a minority choice in Ontario, and I won't pretend otherwise. But I'm seeing a real shift. According to Statistics Canada, the number of homeschooled grade-one-age children in Ontario went from 3,585 in 2006 to 14,946 in 2021, more than quadrupling, and a lot of families who tried home education during the school closures found it worked for them and never went back.
I'll also be straight with you about who this path fits. It comes down to a family's circumstances. Homeschooling asks a lot: one parent needs the flexibility to be home and present, and that depends on your work, your income structure, and frankly your own desire and interest. Not everyone has that freedom, and not everyone wants it. We're fortunate that our work allows it, and for our family it's meant our kids growing up outdoors, active, creative, and spending most of their days together. I wouldn't trade it. But I'd never tell another family it's the right answer for them. It's an option, and around here it's a better supported option than most people realize.
The legal side is simpler than most people expect, and it surprises most families how little is required. In Ontario, homeschooling comes down to one thing: a written letter to your school board each year, letting them know your child is receiving satisfactory instruction at home. That's the whole requirement. You choose your own curriculum, set your own pace, and teach however works best for your family, with no testing and no funding attached either way.
We've been doing this ourselves for years now, and no one has ever come knocking. Send the letter, and the rest is yours to build.
And you won't be doing it alone. The Quinte area has an established homeschool community, anchored by the Hastings & Prince Edward Home Educators and Learners group, which connects families across Belleville, Quinte West, Tyendinaga, Prince Edward County and Hastings. The County library system is another quiet asset here, with regular kids' programming that homeschool families lean on. And for older students working toward a diploma, TVO's Independent Learning Centre offers Ontario credit courses by distance, so homeschooling through to an OSSD is a real path, not a dead end.
Bottom Line
What this means for your family
Whatever your family's situation, this region has a lane for you: small community schools where your kids will know everyone, Catholic education from JK through graduation, French from kindergarten to a diploma, one of Canada's oldest private schools, and a homeschool community that's growing every year.
If schools are a big part of your decision about where to buy, tell me early in the process. Catchments matter, commutes matter, and I'd rather help you get that right from the start than have you discover a bus ride you weren't expecting. I lived that one myself.
Common Questions
Questions families ask about schools here
Is there a Catholic high school in Prince Edward County?
No. County Catholic families send their kids to Nicholson Catholic College in Belleville, grades 7 to 12. St. Gregory Catholic School in Picton covers elementary, with a new $24.5 million school under construction.
Are there French language schools in this region?
Yes, concentrated in Trenton. Both the French public board (CEPEO) and French Catholic board (CECCE) operate schools there, covering kindergarten through graduation on both sides.
Is there a private school option nearby?
Yes, Albert College in Belleville, founded in 1857 and the oldest co-educational day and boarding school in Canada, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12.
What does homeschooling require legally in Ontario?
One written letter to your local school board each year, stating your child is receiving satisfactory instruction at home. No curriculum approval, no testing, and no funding either way.
Is there a homeschool community in this area?
Yes. Hastings & Prince Edward Home Educators and Learners connects homeschool families across Belleville, Quinte West, Tyendinaga, Prince Edward County and Hastings.
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