This report marks the return of the Signposts of Success series after more than a decade. Building on earlier editions (2005, 2007, 2012), it provides an updated, evidence-based analysis of Ontario elementary school test-score results using three years of recent data. Unlike other rankings, Signposts adjusts for student socioeconomic backgrounds and avoids simplistic scoring, offering a fairer measure of school effectiveness.
Socioeconomic background matters but does not fully determine outcomes. Many schools outperform expectations, showing that effective practices can raise student achievement in both literacy and math across diverse communities. Social and economic status factors explain more of the variation in math outcomes than in literacy, and the predictors of success shift between Grade 3 and Grade 6.
System and board structures influence results. Catholic and French-language schools systematically achieve better outcomes than public schools, particularly in literacy, while Grade 6 transitions to middle school weaken performance. At the board level, several French-language, Catholic, and select public boards consistently produce higher results, highlighting the role of board-level practices.
