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• In the UK there is much more information available to assist parents in making decisions about schools than there is in Canada.

• It can be daunting for British parents to research schools in Canada when they don't yet know their Canadian destination very well and when there is so little publicly available information on schools' academic results.

• One of the authors of this article on Canadian Schooling did some in-depth research on schools in Calgary, and anecdotal accounts on the BE forum suggest that the findings of that research can be extrapolated across much of Canada.

• In analyzing data on Calgary schools, the author in question found that there was a strong correlation amongst:
  • anecdotal information about Calgary schools, from her own family's experience, from friends' experiences, etc.
  • socio-economic brackets of neighbourhoods that constituted the catchment areas of various schools
  • police crime statistics for different communities
  • the Fraser Institute's School Report Cards

• Interestingly enough, the data seemed to indicate that there also was a correlation between academic and non-academic factors. In other words, schools that obtained excellent academic results also had tremendous school spirit, etc.

• Another interesting finding was that, while it was advantageous to live in a neighbourhood in which people earned above average incomes, that was true only up to a certain point. Poor neighbourhoods had problems, but extremely wealthy neighbourhoods had some problems too. The best neighbourhoods for which to aim seem to be the broad middle of the socio-economic spectrum.

• One qualification to keep in mind is that the above-mentioned findings about neighbourhoods, etc., were relevant only to public schools. Private schools' Fraser Institute rankings were unrelated to the neighbourhoods in which those schools were situated. The reason seems intuitively obvious. Attendance of a public school depends on the catchment area in which one lives. A private school, on the other hand, tends to draw its students from a wide geographical area.

• Another thing to remember is that a competent real estate salesperson usually will be familiar with the schools in a city and will be able to tell you which ones are better and which ones are worse.

• If you have an opportunity to do so, it's a good idea to pick the brains of local residents. Local people often know which schools are better and worse. Don't believe just one person, however. He/she may be ignorant about schools, use criteria that are different from yours, or have a biased opinion. Still, if you speak with several local residents and find a pattern emerging, you probably can be confident that the information is accurate.

• If you do a recce trip to a city to which you're considering moving, walk around a few different neighbourhoods. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out which are better and worse neighbourhoods. You will pick up on the tone of the neighbourhood pretty quickly. On the one hand, there may be lawns that haven't been mowed, broken screen doors, cars perched on blocks, etc. On the other hand, there may be neatly trimmed yards (gardens), well maintained houses and vehicles, people walking their dogs, children playing in playgrounds, etc. A neighbourhood's pleasant appearance does not, on its own, guarantee that it has a good school. But taking the pulse of a few different neighbourhoods can help you in drawing up a short list of potential neighbourhoods in which to live. Remember that, because a public (state) school draws its students from a geographic catchment area, the neighbourhood in which you buy or rent a residence will determine the school that your child will attend.

• You can do only so much research from a distance. That kind of research can provide you with a short list of schools. Before you make a final decision about your child's school, you need to visit the school in person, while the school is in session. Only a personal visit can confirm whether or not the school's "vibe" is what you hope it is.

• There are some school comparison websites that you may want to use, along with other sources of information:
  • The Fraser Institute publishes school report cards for schools in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
  • Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) publishes school report cards for high schools in Canada's four Atlantic provinces : New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

• To find other schooling-related topics, please read the Wiki article entitled Canadian Schooling.