Thornhill Neighbourhoods

German Mills

Situated at the South Markham border is the tight-knit neighbourhood of German Mills. This neighbourhood has its own residents association, historic community centre, a highly regarded public school, a hockey arena and a sports field. German Mills is right along highway 404, providing great access to shopping centres, services and amenities. With a population of over 5,000 German Mills is a family-oriented neighbourhood with numerous enclaves of townhomes. Most homes in the neighbourhood are designed in a Tudor Revival architectural style with half timbering accents on the front. The German Mills Meadow and Natural Habitat along with German Mills Settlers Park is the largest greenspace in the neighbourhood occupying a large section of land at its centre. German Mills Settlers Park was a 26-hectare site that was a sand aggregate extraction from 1940s to 1960s. This neighbourhood was founded in 1794 as an industrial centre alongside the burgeoning Town of Muddy York by William Berczy. 

German Mills Public School

German Mills Public School offers programs for students enrolling in Junior Kindergarten to 8th Grade. The school had started accepting students in 1974 and later on had students from neighbouring schools of Thornhill enrolling. The school is known for its excellent education system and is one of the high ranking Elementary schools within York Region DSB with a ranking that is 38% better than schools in Ontario. The school is located on 61 Simonston Blvd in Thornhill. All information needed for enrollment and tuition fee concerns are available at the School’s website, here.

Programs Offered:

• Credit and Non-credit Summer Learning Program 
• Adult Learning Program
• Adult Literacy and Basic Skills
• English as a Second Language
• Citizenship Classes
• Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada

Contact Information:

Phone: (905) 889-8776, (647) 795-7681

Fax: (905) 889-8725

Email: german.mills.ps@yrdsb.ca

St. Michael Academy

St. Michael Academy is located on 41 Simonston Blvd in Thornhill. This catholic school, also referred to as St. Michael’s, St. Mike’s or SMCS, is administered by the Basilian Fathers and is the largest school of its kind in the area. Serving nearly 900 students from grades 7 to 12, the school aims to achieve spiritual development amongst its students. The administration remains consistent in keeping up with its ministry curriculum requirements. St. Michael’s strives to allow its students to become critical and creative thinkers that apply catholic teachings into their lives. The school is known to mold students who excel in sports as the campus itself consists of a number of sports facilities. In fact, the school’s basketball court was once named after Paul Dignan who was the former vice principal, teacher, coach and an alumnus. St. Michael’s has over 90 alumni students that have played in the National Hockey League.

Thornlea

Located at the southwest corner of Markham, Thornlea neighbourhood has a population of over 5,000. The neighbourhood has 16 street-level transit stops for easy travel and offers many shops, services, and amenities fit for daily needs. Thornlea is ranked No. 30 amongst the neighbourhoods in Markham and No. 843 amongst all of Ontario. The area ranks 98% better than other neighbourhoods in the area. Notable for its diversity, 40% of the population are Chinese, 13% are South Asian, and 7% are West Asian. 

St. Robert Catholic High School

The St. Robert Catholic High School is a secondary school that was established in 1975 by the York Catholic District School Board. Named after patron saint, St. Robert Bellarmine, this school caters to students from kindergarten to the 8th grade. The administration strives to create a safe learning environment for students that is assisted by the support of home, school and church. The school’s current building construction was accomplished in 1989 when an extension was added. The school accepts around over 1000 students per year and strives to form students that are respectful, communicative, accountable, and constant learners.

Aileen-Willowbrook

The Willowbrook neighbourhood, also known as the Aileen-Willowbrook, is situated in southwest Markham just south of Highway 407. This area is largely residential with large suburban homes characterised by cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets. Many homes in the neighbourhood are spacious with decent-sized yards in front. Aileen-Willowbrook is a beautiful neighbourhood to move into. The area was once largely rural with homes on acreages but it is slowly being dominated by single-family homes. Willowbrook has a population of over 10,000 and many facilities in the area including playgrounds, tennis courts, sports fields, community recreation centre, indoor rinks, and more. Getting around the neighbourhood is a breeze as the area has 36 street-level transit stops. Willowbrook also offers many shops and necessities for daily needs and errands. The neighbourhood has rank # 26 amongst the others in Markham and # 773 in Ontario. Home values in Willowbrook are 2% higher than in Ontario with a cost of living that is 2% lower. 

Willowbrook Public School

Located on 45 Willowbrook Road in Thornhill, the Willowbrook Public School was established on 17th of December in 1981. Due to an increased number of students enrolling, Willowbrook Public School has since added and removed single portable classrooms from the site. Four demountable classrooms are attached to the south wing of the school. The campus is complete with classrooms, a Learning Resource Centre with a computer lab, gymnasium, music room, caretaking facilities, administrative offices and a conference room. Willowbrook Public School provides a safe learning environment for students that is inclusive, challenging and engaging. Serving over 250 students from Kindergarten to 8th Grade, the school focuses on developing students’ skills on collaboration, critical thinking and communication. The school’s building is wheelchair accessible.

Programs offered:

• Special Education Program
• English as a Second Language Program
• Reading Recovery Program
• Literacy Collaborative Program

Contact Information:

Phone:   (905) 886-0743, (647) 795-7690

Fax: (905) 886-1063

Email: willowbrook.ps@yrdsb.ca

Secondary Schools in the Area:

Thornlea Secondary School

The Thornlea Secondary School was established in 1968 and is located on 8075 Bayview Avenue in Thornhill. Thornlea offers courses tackling fine arts, music, drama, business, marketing, design and technology. The school’s building is quite different from most as it does not feature much windows. The structure was originally built this way in hopes to lessen distractions of students while learning and allow them to focus on their studies. This design causes the building to become very hot during the summer  and has poor ventilation. In the years 2000 to 2001, a southern wing with proper window count and ventilation was added.

Feature courses:

• AP Course
• Small Class English as a Second Language Course
• High Performance Athlete Course
• Specialist High Skills Major Courses

Phone: (905) 889-9696 , (647) 795-7692

Fax: (905) 889-2991

Email: thornlea.ss@yrdsb.ca

Bayview Fairways-Bayview Country Club Estates

Bayview Country Club Estates neighbourhood was developed between 1960 to 1980. With a population of over 2,000, Bayview Fairways currently has a hot real estate market. This neighbourhood is located just east of Bayview Glen in Southwest Markham. Although the area is near a train station which some may find an inconvenience, the neighbourhood is near a golf course, the Bayview Golf and Country Club. This high class neighbourhood embraces nature as the area showcases evergreen trees along its wide streets. Its lack of sidewalks make for good-looking streetscapes which match the quiet neighbourhood perfectly. Bayview Fairways offers a number of shopping plazas along Steeles Avenue and Bayview Avenue allowing easy access to amenities and necessities such as supermarkets and small businesses. 

Bayview Golf and Country Club

This golf course is located on 25 Fairway Heights Drive in Thornhill and was designed by Robbie Robinson, a Canadian architect who is in the Golf Hall of Fame. The course was designed by Doug Carrick and consistently remains one of Score Magazine’s Top 100 Courses in Canada. The Bayview Golf and Country Club serves both professional and amateur players and has been doing so for the past 50 years. This world-class course offers plays and games for any player of any skill level and provides members opportunities in competitive events, group games, and social gatherings.

Bayview Fairways Public School

Bayview Fairways Public School was built in 1971 with an open space on its third level. The school was established in late 1972 and enrolled over 400 children from Kindergarten to 5th Grade. The 6th Grade curriculum was only introduced after a year of opening, which added over 200 more students to the school. In 2002, the school was renovated to add an additional floor and classrooms for first graders. In 2004, tiles crafted by students, staff and community members were used to decorate the school’s foyer. 

Phone: (905) 889-1858, (647) 795-7665

Fax: (905) 889-1901

Email: bayview.fairways.ps@yrdsb.ca

Bayview Woods-Steeles

  Bayview Woods-Steeles is a residential neighbourhood located in the northernmost area of Toronto. On top of the nature trails along the Don River and German Mills Creek, this neighbourhood has picturesque parks adding to the beauty of the community. Bayview Woods-Steeles is commuter-friendly and is easy to get around in as it has access to various transportation. The neighbourhood is near Highway 404 and Highway 401 making it easy to travel to and fro anywhere in the city. Houses in the area are mostly detached and semi-detached split-level bungalows and townhomes that are of average sizing. The neighbourhood is also filled with condominiums adding to its selection of residential options. Restaurants in the neighbourhood include Kaga, Swiss Chalet, Kaikaki Japanese Cuisine and Harvey’s.

North York

North York is known to have a colourful history . The neighbourhood is located along Yonge Street and was a municipality prior to amalgamation with Toronto in 1998. The neighbougrhood’s first mayor, Mel Lastman, was the first mayor elected of the newly minted “Nega City” of Toronto. He had North York’s largest civic venue named after him, the Mel Lastman Square, which housed many important community events. The Mel Lastman square is surrounded by various services and amenities such as shops, offices, restaurants, public library and the North York Centre Station right along the Yonge University line. The North York community is filled with condominiums, office towers and shopping centres for convenience. The two largest shopping centres in Toronto, Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Fairview Mall, are located in this neighbourhood.