Welcome to the Canterbury High School Learning Community. Located in the southeast sector of Ottawa, Canterbury High School is a hub of creative activity for over 1,250 students. It is a school with a 50-year tradition of excellence comprised of students from our local community and students from across and the city who have auditioned for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s Secondary Arts program. There is a rich diversity in the school population that is respected and encouraged. As a result, our students are motivated, creative, energetic, and committed to their studies, their school, and their community.
Our goal, as a learning community, is to nurture well-being and excellence in our students by challenging them with the best of the academic, artistic, and extra-curricular worlds, while providing a safe and caring learning environment. All members of our learning community are encouraged to participate in all aspects of our school to facilitate our students’ journey through secondary education and to become well-rounded individuals who care about and understand our greater community.
Located in the southeast sector of Ottawa, Canterbury is a hub of creative activity for over 1300 students. It is a school with a 40–year tradition of excellence made up of students from our local community and students who have auditioned for the specialized Arts Canterbury program. Students in the Arts Canterbury program enroll in one of the following art disciplines: dance, drama, literary, music, or visual. There is rich persist in the school population that is respected and encouraged. As a result, the students are motivated, creative, energetic, and committed to their studies, their school, and their community. The extra-curricular athletic program at Canterbury lends balance to both academics and arts. Our goals are to nurture excellence in our students by challenging them with the best of the academic, artistic, and athletic worlds, and to help students become well-rounded individuals who care about and understand our greater community.
Canterbury High School is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board high school in the Elmvale Acres neighborhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is an arts magnet school and located at 900 Canterbury Ave. It serves 1304 students. While offering both an arts program and a general program, Canterbury is known primarily for the arts. The Arts Canterbury program began in 1983. It was recently rated by Maclean's Magazine as the top high school for the arts in Canada. It is not the top arts high school, which would mean the best school overall of all art schools. Instead it is the best high school specifically for the arts.
The school opened in 1969 as a comprehensive high school. It was the last in a series of ten high schools built by the Collegiate Board to deal with the baby boom. At the time of its opening, it was considered an extremely modern school, employing all the latest ideas in education. Most notably many of its walls were moveable, allowing for an easy reorganization of space. It also had one of the largest libraries of any secondary school.
Arts Canterbury, established in 1983, is a specialized program of the Arts in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Students who thrive in this program have a deep love of the Arts. This program helps students enhance their skills in a challenging and supportive environment. Entry to the Arts Canterbury Program is by audition only.
The Arts Canterbury Program offers students the opportunity to fulfill their high school graduation requirements while studying one of these five Art disciplines in-depth, Dance, Drama, Literary Arts, Music (Winds/Percussion, Strings or Vocal), Visual Arts. Student Services is dedicated to helping young people better understand their educational opportunities, to know and appreciate themselves, to relate effectively to others, and explore career alternatives. We strive to promote positive mental health and access to appropriate support for all of our students. Click below to access a range of resources to help yourself or a student who may be struggling with their mental health.
Canterbury provides a full range of academic programs including the Extended French program which leads to the OCDSB Extended French Certificate and a concentration of Business courses that can lead to the OCDSB Business Certificate. We also provide an opportunity for students to learn a third language through our Spanish classes. A comprehensive co-operative education program allows students to gain experience in the world of work while at the same time earning valuable credits. The four-year Arts Canterbury program allows students to receive instruction in their chosen art discipline (dance, drama, literary arts, music, or visual arts) daily in addition to a full academic load.
Canterbury is a semester school. Students attend four classes per day. Students are enrolled in 8 courses per year in grades 9, 10, and 11 with the option of 6 or more courses in grade 12. However, with the Extended French and the Arts Program, most students enroll in 8 courses throughout their high school years at Canterbury.
The majority of Arts Canterbury Courses are full-year courses. Exceptions are in the Visual and Music disciplines. Students enter the Arts Canterbury program through an audition process which takes place in February. Additional information can be found on our website or in the Arts Canterbury booklet available at the school.
CHS is accessible for the physically challenged. Our facilities include 5 computer labs, a library with networked computers, a communications technology studio with video and audio recording capabilities, 4 drama studios, 3 dance studios, a fully-equipped auditorium, music rooms for vocal, string, and wind instruction, visual art rooms with separate photography, ceramics, drawing/painting and printmaking areas, a large gym, a weight room, and a cardio workout area.
