How Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam secondaries really compare on the Fraser Institute report card — and why the rating and the real-world desirability of a school are only loosely connected.
Every January the Fraser Institute publishes its Report Card on BC schools, scoring each one out of 10. Tri-Cities parents and homebuyers reach for that number as a shortcut — but in SD43 the rating and a school’s real-world desirability are only loosely connected. The clearest example: Port Moody Secondary runs the district’s only International Baccalaureate programme yet carries a middling Fraser rating, while a school with a high rating may simply have a less diverse cohort and a heavier exam emphasis.
This page shows the most recent Fraser Institute Overall ratings for the main SD43 secondaries, explains exactly what the score does and doesn’t measure, and gives you the buyer’s read: which ratings to trust, which to discount, and how a school’s reputation flows through to home prices. Ratings shift year to year — treat them as one input, not a verdict.
Quick answers
What is the highest-rated school in SD43?
Dr. Charles Best Secondary (Westwood Plateau, Coquitlam) tops the public secondaries on the most recent Fraser Institute report card, with an Overall rating around 8.5/10. Among schools that take applications, the private Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary (PoCo) rates around 8.1.
Are Fraser Institute rankings reliable for choosing a school?
As one input, yes; as a verdict, no. The rating is built almost entirely from standardised exam results and graduation data. It does not measure teaching quality, school culture, specialty programs (IB, AP, arts, trades), or fit for your child. Two strong schools can rate very differently because of cohort demographics, not education quality.
Why does Port Moody Secondary rate low if it has IB?
Because the Fraser rating averages all students’ exam results, and Port Moody Secondary has the widest, most diverse catchment in the district (condos to waterfront detached). The high-performing IB cohort is diluted in the average. The rating understates the school — its IB Diploma graduates place into top universities globally.
Do school rankings affect Tri-Cities home prices?
Yes, but reputation drives prices more than the raw Fraser number. Homes in the Charles Best catchment carry an 8–12% premium and homes in Heritage Woods 10–15% — both highly-regarded schools. A school’s perceived desirability among local families is what the market actually prices.
Which SD43 school is best for my child?
It depends on what you optimise for: AP-heavy academics (Charles Best, Heritage Woods), the IB Diploma (Port Moody Secondary), arts (Pinetree), or trades and athletics (Riverside). The Fraser rating won’t tell you this — program fit will.
Almost entirely provincial exam results, graduation rates, and a few equity indicators (e.g. gender-gap and grade-to-exam consistency). It’s a snapshot of measured academic output — not a measure of teaching, culture, safety, or program quality.
Specialty programs (IB, AP depth, arts, trades, athletics), class sizes, school culture, extracurriculars, university-placement track record, and — most importantly — whether the school fits your child. These are exactly the things families care about most.
Because the rating averages every student’s exam results, schools with broad, diverse, or high-ELL catchments (Port Moody Secondary, Terry Fox) score lower even when their top cohorts excel. A “lower” rating often just means a more representative student body, not worse education.
A single weak cohort or exam cycle can swing a school’s number meaningfully. Always pull the current report card rather than relying on a figure you saw a year or two ago — including the numbers on this page once a new edition lands.
The market prices a school’s perceived desirability among local families, which tracks reputation, program access and word-of-mouth more than the Fraser number. That’s why Charles Best and Heritage Woods command real premiums while a similarly-rated school elsewhere may not.
The district’s other major secondaries round out the picture: Pinetree (North Coquitlam — the district’s arts powerhouse, SkyTrain-accessible), Centennial (Central Coquitlam — longest-running AP, most diverse cohort) and Riverside (PoCo — SD43’s deepest trades program and strong athletics). Their Fraser numbers churn year to year; we don’t publish a fixed figure here precisely because — as the table shows — the number correlates poorly with what these schools actually offer.
Ratings below are the most recent Fraser Institute Overall scores (out of 10) pulled from the official report-card data, ranked high to low. Read the right-hand column carefully — in SD43 the number alone is misleading, and several excellent schools rate well below their real-world standing.
| School (location) | Fraser /10 | The buyer’s read |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Charles Best Secondary (Westwood Plateau, Coquitlam) | 8.5 | The genuine academic flagship — high rating and high desirability line up here. AP-heavy. Catchment carries the district’s most durable home premium (8–12%). |
| Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary (PoCo · private Catholic) | 8.1 | The Tri-Cities’ Catholic regional secondary (Grade 8–12). Application-based, not catchment — rating reflects a more selective cohort, so compare it to private peers, not public catchments. |
| Heritage Woods Secondary (Heritage Mountain, Port Moody) | 7.6 | Rating and reputation align. AP-heavy, mountain-side detached catchment. Carries the largest home premium in Port Moody (10–15%). |
| Gleneagle Secondary (Burke Mountain, Coquitlam) | 5.2 | Rating understates the school. Serves Burke Mountain’s large, growing family base; newer campus, climbing reputation. The mid rating reflects cohort breadth, not weak education. |
| Terry Fox Secondary (Port Coquitlam) | 4.6 | A solid community school serving south PoCo. The low number reflects a broad, diverse cohort and exam-weighted scoring — not a school to write off. Strong for families who value community fit. |
| Port Moody Secondary (Port Moody Centre) | 4.4 | The clearest example of the rating misleading: this is SD43’s only IB Diploma school, walkable to SkyTrain, with graduates placing globally. The wide catchment dilutes the average. Discount the number heavily. |
A five-step way to turn the Fraser number into a decision you can actually act on when buying a Tri-Cities home.
Use it to flag schools worth investigating — not to rank your choices. A 7+ is a strong signal; a mid score (4–6) in SD43 frequently hides an excellent school with a diverse cohort. Never eliminate a school on the number alone.
Identify what your child needs — IB, AP depth, arts, trades, athletics — and confirm the school offers it. Port Moody Secondary (IB) and Riverside (trades) are obvious cases where program matters far more than the rating.
School quality only helps if your home actually feeds it. Use the official SD43 catchment tool on the specific address — boundaries run mid-block and change as Burke Mountain grows.
Top-catchment homes cost more: roughly 8–12% for Charles Best, 10–15% for Heritage Woods, 3–6% for Riverside. Decide whether the premium is worth it versus a slightly lower-rated but excellent alternative.
The single best data source isn’t a spreadsheet — it’s current parents and a school visit. Reputation, culture and fit show up there, not in the Fraser number. I can connect you with families in any Tri-Cities catchment you’re considering.
What is the highest-rated public secondary in SD43?
Dr. Charles Best Secondary in Coquitlam’s Westwood Plateau, with a recent Fraser Institute Overall rating around 8.5/10 — the highest among SD43 public secondaries and one of the strongest in the Tri-Cities.
Why does Heritage Woods rate higher than Port Moody Secondary?
Heritage Woods (≈7.6) draws from an almost entirely detached, higher-income catchment, which lifts average exam results. Port Moody Secondary (≈4.4) has the district’s most diverse catchment — condos to waterfront — so its average is pulled down, even though its IB Diploma cohort is excellent. The gap reflects demographics, not education quality.
Should I avoid a school with a Fraser rating under 5?
No. In SD43 several strong schools — Port Moody Secondary (IB), Gleneagle (Burke Mountain), Terry Fox (community-rooted, solid trades and athletics) — rate in the 4–5 range because of broad cohorts and exam-weighted scoring. Investigate program fit and reputation before ruling anything out.
How often do the rankings change?
The Fraser Institute updates its report card annually (released each January). Individual school ratings can move by a full point or more year to year on a single cohort or exam cycle, so always use the current edition.
Do private schools rank against public ones fairly?
Not on a like-for-like basis. Private and application-based schools (e.g. Archbishop Carney, ≈8.1) often rate higher partly because of more selective cohorts. Compare private schools to other privates and public catchments to other public catchments — see our Tri-Cities private schools guide.
Does a higher-ranked school mean higher home prices?
Reputation and perceived desirability drive home premiums more than the raw rating. The strongly-regarded catchments — Charles Best (8–12%) and Heritage Woods (10–15%) — carry the biggest premiums. A school can be well-rated and still carry little premium if local families don’t prize it.
Where can I see the official SD43 rankings?
The Fraser Institute school report cards are the source most people mean by “rankings.” The BC Ministry also publishes raw data via Student Success BC. Both are inputs — neither captures program fit.
Is SD43 a strong district overall?
Yes. SD43 (Coquitlam, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam) consistently ranks among BC’s top public districts, with a high graduation rate and multiple secondaries placing students into UBC and SFU above provincial averages. The district average is strong even where individual school ratings vary.
How do I find homes inside a specific top-rated catchment?
Pick the school, verify the catchment boundary for the exact address, then search inside it. Each catchment guide on this site (for example Charles Best or Heritage Woods) includes live MLS listings, or I can pull current listings inside any verified boundary for you.
Rankings or catchment — which should drive my home purchase?
Neither alone. Use the ranking to screen, confirm program fit for your child, verify the catchment on the exact address, weigh the home premium, then talk to families. The best decision blends the data with on-the-ground reputation — which is where a local REALTOR® who works these catchments every week adds the most value.
I’ll line up homes inside the SD43 School Rankings catchment you’re targeting and walk them with you — school, traffic, the house itself.
Book a TourAlready inside a strong-school catchment? See what your home is worth today — based on current MLS sold data for your block.
Free Home ValuationDirect line for school-driven home searches, application questions, and homes inside top Tri-Cities programs — no team handoffs.
Contact SebastianSebastian Czarkowski | REALTOR® | Royal LePage Elite West | Coquitlam, BC. Program descriptions and school lists reflect publicly available School District 43 data, Fraser Institute school report cards, and local working knowledge — they are not formal academic rankings. Catchment boundaries and program availability are set by SD43 and subject to change without notice. Always verify a specific address using the official SD43 catchment tool and confirm current program availability directly with the school. This page is informational and does not constitute an educational or real estate advisory.