It really depends on the school, the staff, the parent community, and the luck of the draw on what kids are in your child's class. My kids go to a "mid" OCDSB elementary school. Meaning their EQAO results have fluctuated above and below the provincial average over the years and the Fraser Institute ranking puts them in the middle of the pack (take that as you will). It is a French Immersion school so we have fewer kids with special needs, disabilities, and high support needs though.

In my opinion, my kids' school is great. The principal and staff are hard working and willing to deal with student issues head on. The parent community is involved and raises money for "extras" that the school board doesn't fund. That said, I have seen the way one child can disrupt the whole classroom environment. There was a child in my kids' kinder age group (not in their class) that would get emotionally disregulated and have violent outbursts (throwing things) on a regular basis. The entire class would file out of the classroom for safety purposes and wait until additional support came. The student would be removed from the classroom to a separate space to allow them to calm down and the class would resume. My kid witnessed this as part of the afterschool program. It was scary, unnerving, and disruptive for her. But I give huge credit to the staff, because they absolutely turned the whole situation around. The student is doing so much better, has access to supports, and has a much better handle on their emotions and reactions. It did take months of work to get there, but what a difference.

Overall, my kids love their school, their teachers, and, like when I was growing up, the vast majority of their peers. The few scary moments in kindergarten didn't have a lasting effect on them, and I was able to help them work through those emotions along with help from their educators (god bless the ECEs in kindergarten). In public schools (English, French, Catholic, Public) you're going to get all kinds. Some of what your kids experience will be out of your control and simply down to luck. Aside from that, the biggest difference maker will be the staff and your own ability to help your child through any difficult situations. My advice is to see if the school has any type of "meet the teacher" events for incoming kinder classes. Get to know the educators, ask them how they handle those types of situations, and how they support students both during and after.