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Browse current MLS® listings inside the catchment of James Bay Community School, which covers the western half of James Bay from the south shore of the Inner Harbour to Fisherman’s Wharf, Ogden Point and Dallas Road, and meet the school that shares its building with a community centre.
James Bay Community School is a Kindergarten to Grade 5 school at 140 Oswego Street, one block from the ocean in the heart of James Bay. It is part of School District 61 (Greater Victoria) and is a small school, with about 180 students according to its own website.
What makes it unusual is that the building leads a double life. The school calls itself an integrated community centre and school: the James Bay Community School Centre operates under the same roof, managed by the non-profit James Bay Community School Society, and staff from the school and the centre describe themselves as one team. In a single day the building can host StrongStart, child care, classes, after-school sports and arts, and evening programs for youth, adults and seniors.
James Bay belongs to the Victoria High School family of schools. On the district’s catchment pathway chart, its students move on to Central Middle School for Grades 6 to 8 and then to Victoria High School.
Much of what James Bay offers grows out of its partnership with the community centre. Programs, schedules and providers can change, so check current details with the school and the centre.
A free early-learning program for children from birth to age five, who attend with a parent or caregiver. Weekday-morning sessions led by a qualified early childhood educator include story time, play and a healthy snack; families register with proof of age, then book visits.
The non-profit that runs the community centre also offers preschool and before- and after-school care in the building, which means drop-off, classes and care can all happen at one address. Families arrange care directly with the centre.
Once the bell rings, the centre’s programs aim to get children aged 5 to 12 moving, with art, music and creative activities alongside. The school also lists Friday evening youth programs among the services in the building.
South Harbour Partners, a group of James Bay residents, funds extras the operating budget does not cover, with technology, literacy and community events as priorities. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, which runs port facilities around the harbour, is another listed partner.
Athletics teams and the 1000 x 5 literacy project are part of school life. The project is a Greater Victoria book-recycling effort built around the goal of 1,000 books by age five, and families drop off books for babies and preschoolers in a bin in the main hallway. Because the community centre also runs a community café, seniors’ dinners, rentals and neighbourhood events, the building stays busy long after classes end.
The setting is hard to beat for a young family that likes to be outdoors: the Dallas Road waterfront, Ogden Point and Fisherman’s Wharf are all within a short walk of the school.
The catchment covers the western half of James Bay, the older neighbourhood on the peninsula south of the Inner Harbour. Its line with the South Park catchment runs roughly north to south through the middle of the neighbourhood, so the Legislature side of James Bay belongs to South Park. Inside the boundary are the harbour’s south shore, Fisherman’s Wharf and its float homes, the cruise terminal at Ogden Point, Holland Point Park and the western stretch of Dallas Road, plus residential streets such as Niagara, Kingston, St. Lawrence and Medana. The map search follows the district’s published elementary catchment map, simplified, so homes right on the edge may fall on either side; check an exact address with the district.
The housing reflects the neighbourhood’s age: early 1900s character houses, some converted to suites or multiple units, small apartment buildings, waterfront condo buildings along Dallas Road and the harbour, townhome complexes from the late 1970s to the 2000s, and a few modern infill houses. Our James Bay neighbourhood guide covers daily life in more depth.
At the start of November 2026 there were about 25 homes listed inside the catchment: seven detached houses, three float homes, seven townhomes, six condos and two multi-family character houses. Leaving aside the float homes at Fisherman’s Wharf, listed between about $250,000 and $460,000, prices ran from about $600,000 for a one-bedroom condo to $3.2 million for a large waterfront condo on Dallas Road, with detached houses between roughly $1 million and $3 million. There is no French Immersion stream at James Bay; families who want one apply through the district’s own French Immersion registration, whose catchments are drawn differently from the English map used here.
A property’s address inside these boundaries does not by itself guarantee a place at James Bay Community School. Catchment boundaries, registration rules and program admission can change, and some programs depend on capacity. Buyers should confirm the current catchment and registration status with School District 61 (Greater Victoria) before relying on school access as part of a real-estate decision. Compare other catchments on the Greater Victoria schools page.
Address:
140 Oswego Street
Victoria, British Columbia V8V 2B1
Phone: 250-384-7184
Visit the official school website for current registration information, program details, calendars and school announcements.
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