Orillia schools and healthcare: boards, campuses, doctors

Orillia has four publicly funded school boards, a growing university campus and a full-service hospital. The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) runs English public schools, and the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) runs English Catholic schools. French-language education comes from Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (Catholic) and Conseil scolaire Viamonde (public). Your home school depends on your address, so check it before you buy. For post-secondary, Lakehead University's Orillia campus is open and expanding, while Georgian College closed its Orillia campus in summer 2026. For healthcare, Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital has a 24-hour emergency department, and you look for a family doctor through Health Care Connect.

Which school boards serve Orillia?

Board	Language and type	Orillia secondary school(s)
Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB)	English public	Orillia Secondary School; Twin Lakes Secondary School (381 Birch St.)
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB)	English Catholic	Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School
Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir	French Catholic	Elementary in Orillia: École élémentaire catholique Samuel-de-Champlain
Conseil scolaire Viamonde	French public	Contact the board for your designated school

The SMCDSB's Orillia elementary schools include Monsignor Lee, Notre Dame and St. Bernard's Catholic schools. The SCDSB runs a number of public elementary schools across the city. Check the board's current list, because boundaries and school names change over time.

Orillia once had more public high schools. Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute and Park Street Collegiate both closed in 2013, and students now attend Orillia Secondary School or Twin Lakes.

How do I find my child's home school?

Both English boards base your home school on your residential address. The SCDSB points families to the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium (SCSTC) school eligibility tool, which also handles busing. You can reach SCSTC at 705-733-8965.

French Immersion and French-language schools

These are two different things:

• French Immersion is offered by the English boards. The SCDSB offers French Immersion starting in Grade 1 at 10 designated schools across Simcoe County, plus Extended French starting in Grade 5 at those schools. Check which designated school serves your address.
• French-language schools are for students with French-language education rights. In Orillia, École élémentaire catholique Samuel-de-Champlain (MonAvenir) teaches Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 on Park Street, with before- and after-school care. Conseil scolaire Viamonde, the French public board, has schools in Barrie. Contact Viamonde to confirm the designated school and transportation for an Orillia address.

What post-secondary options are in Orillia?

Lakehead University, Orillia campus

Lakehead University's Orillia campus is at 500 University Avenue in the city's west end. It's open and growing. In January 2025 the County of Simcoe committed $15 million over 10 years to its expansion, building on a $10 million County contribution in 2009 that helped establish the campus. At the time, the campus had about 2,100 students, and Lakehead expects that to rise to about 3,500 once a new building opens, with 10 new academic programs by 2032.

Georgian College: Orillia campus closed

Georgian College announced on September 26, 2025 that it would consolidate its Orillia and Muskoka campuses into its Barrie campus. The Orillia campus closed in summer 2026, with programs moving to Barrie starting in May 2026, and the college planned to sell the Orillia campus and residence. Some websites, directories and older transit schedules still list a Georgian Orillia location. Students now attend Georgian in Barrie.

What is healthcare like in Orillia?

Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital

Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital (OSMH) is at 170 Colborne St. W. (705-325-2201). It has a 24-hour emergency department, including Geriatric Emergency Management. Its programs include:

• Birthing and paediatric services, including a Regional Birthing Program
• Cancer care, kidney care, a diabetes education centre and chronic disease care
• Surgical services, critical care, diagnostic imaging and laboratory
• Mental health, including the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Eating Disorder Program
• Rehab, outpatient clinics, telemedicine, and sexual assault and domestic violence care
• A Family Medicine Teaching Unit

A new hospital is in planning. In June 2026 the project moved to Stage 1.3 (Functional Program) of Ontario's capital planning process, on a preferred 25-acre Lakehead University-owned site on University Avenue. No construction date has been announced.

How do I find a family doctor?

Register with Health Care Connect as soon as you have an Ontario health card and your new address:

• Phone: call 811 (TTY 711), open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in English, French or other languages.
• Online: through the Health Care Connect page on ontario.ca, in English or French.
• You'll need your health card number and the postal code associated with it. You can register for yourself or your whole family. If you've used Health Care Connect before, you need to register by phone.

The Province's Primary Care Action Plan aims to connect every person in Ontario to a family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team by 2029, and the Province reports more than 470,000 people have been removed from the Health Care Connect waitlist since January 2025. While you wait, use walk-in or virtual care, or Health811 for free health advice.

If you're moving from elsewhere in Ontario, ask your current doctor whether you can stay on their roster for a while after the move.

Home and long-term care

Ontario Health atHome handles home care and long-term care applications: 1-833-515-1234. If you're planning for an older parent, read retiring in Orillia.

What about child care?

For children under six in licensed programs enrolled in the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system, Ontario capped fees at $22 a day as of January 1, 2025, and reports a provincial average of $19 a day. The fee reduction is applied by enrolled providers automatically, so families don't apply for it. The County of Simcoe manages licensed child care for Orillia, including fee subsidies for families who qualify based on income.

Spaces, especially for infants and toddlers, can be hard to find. Get on waitlists as soon as you know your move date. Before- and after-school care is often run at or near the schools themselves, as at Samuel-de-Champlain. Ask your school about it when you register.

In practice, that means contacting several licensed centres and licensed home child care agencies directly, since each keeps its own list, and following up as your move date gets closer. If you may qualify for a fee subsidy, apply to the County of Simcoe's Children Services at the same time.

Putting schools and healthcare into your home search

How Jordan can help

Jordan can help you check school boundaries and busing for each home on your shortlist before you make an offer, and point you to the right board and County offices for registration and child care. Call 705-345-0797 or get in touch through contact.