Living in Royal Oak, Burnaby
Royal Oak grades B overall (78/100), #1 of 20 residential areas in and around Burnaby. Its strongest categories are schools, shops & food and health care; its weakest are road safety.
Royal Oak has about 2,154 home addresses across 3.5 km². Out of 20 residential areas, Royal Oak ranks #5 for families, #1 for seniors and #9 for commuters. It grades A for schools, parks, nature & outdoors, childcare, shops & food, transit, health care.
Explore Royal Oak on the mapGrades by category
| Category | Grade | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | A (100) | Homes within 1 km of a public elementary school and 2 km of a public middle/secondary school |
| Kids at home | B (66) | Share of households that are families with children at home (2021 Census). Used in the Families score only |
| Road safety | E (20) | ICBC-reported crashes per km² per year, 2021–2025 |
| Parks | A (96) | Homes within 400 m of a park, plus 500 m of a playground |
| Nature & outdoors | A (92) | How close homes are to a trail, natural area or shoreline the public can reach, to a bigger one for a bike ride (a river, lake or long trail), and to a major destination for a drive (a big lake, large park or the ocean) |
| Childcare | A (88) | Homes within 800 m of a licensed group centre or preschool, and 1 km of care for under-3s (home daycares alone don’t count) |
| Quiet streets | C (46) | How close homes are to traffic: right beside a highway counts most, fading out by 300 m; arterial roads fade out by 150 m and collector roads by 100 m (OpenStreetMap road types) |
| Shops & food | A (99) | Homes within 1 km of a grocery store or pharmacy, and 800 m of a café or restaurant |
| Transit | A (97) | Homes within 400 m of a bus stop, and of a stop with 40+ weekday departures |
| Health care | A (98) | Homes within 1.5 km of a walk-in clinic or hospital, and 1 km of a pharmacy |
| Commute time | C (48) | Workers with a commute under 15 minutes, less a penalty for commutes of an hour or more (2021 Census) |
| Highway access | B (70) | Average straight-line distance from homes to the nearest Highway 1 interchange |
Who lives here
About 16,705 people live in Royal Oak (2021 Census), with a median age of 39.1 (city: 41.5). 65% of households own their home and 35.2% rent. 34.8% of households are families with children at home, 12.9% of residents are under 15 and 14.6% are 65 or older. 17% of homes are houses and 48% are apartments.
Schools
100% of homes are within 1 km of a public elementary school, and 100% are within 2 km of a public middle or secondary school. Across Burnaby Schools (School District 41), 95.4% of students graduate within six years of starting Grade 8 (BC: 92.5%, 2024/2025); the Province doesn't publish this for single schools.
| School | Beats % of BC schools | Results |
|---|---|---|
| Clinton Elementary elementary | 80 | FSA reading beats 77% of BC schools; FSA math beats 83% |
| Nelson Elementary elementary | 70 | FSA reading beats 60% of BC schools; FSA math beats 79% |
| Windsor Elementary elementary | 44 | FSA reading beats 46% of BC schools; FSA math beats 41% |
| Burnaby South Secondary secondary | 57 | 72% proficient in graduation literacy (BC 75%); 51% in graduation numeracy (BC 47%) |
Provincial test results (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025) compared with every BC school. They don't count toward any grade, because scores follow family income closely. How we work these out.
Nature & outdoors
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: BC Parkway, Deer Lake Park, Deer Lake, Rumble Urban Trail, Rumble Street Urban Trail and Byrne Creek Ravine Park. A bike ride away: Fraser River (North Arm), Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Central Valley Greenway, South Arm Fraser River and Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park. A short drive away: Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Seaside Greenway and Alaksen National Wildlife Area.
Parks
11 city parks covering 12.4 hectares. 93.8% of homes are within a five-minute walk (400 m) of a park.
Transit
45 bus stops with 3,899 weekday departures on routes 119, 144, 147, 148, N19, . 96.5% of homes are within 400 m of a stop.
Road safety
ICBC recorded 2,274 crashes inside Royal Oak from 2021 to 2025, 720 of them with injuries or deaths.
Garbage day
Thursday (zone 4A) for 34.6% of homes; Thursday (zone 4B) for 33.8% of homes; Wednesday (zone 3B) for 31.6% of homes
Crime
No public crime data exists at the neighbourhood level, so we don't estimate it.
Common questions about Royal Oak
Is Royal Oak a good place to live?
Royal Oak grades B overall (78/100), #1 of 20 residential areas in and around Burnaby. Its strongest categories are schools, shops & food and health care; its weakest are road safety. For families it ranks #5, for seniors #1 and for commuters #9. Grades come from public data only, never from reviews or opinion.
What outdoor spots are near Royal Oak?
100% of homes are within 1 km of a trail, natural area or public shoreline. Close to home: BC Parkway, Deer Lake Park, Deer Lake, Rumble Urban Trail, Rumble Street Urban Trail and Byrne Creek Ravine Park. A bike ride away: Fraser River (North Arm), Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Central Valley Greenway, South Arm Fraser River and Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park. A short drive away: Sturgeon Bank Wildlife Management Area, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, Ocean or tidal shoreline, Seaside Greenway and Alaksen National Wildlife Area. Nature & outdoors grades A.
What schools are in Royal Oak?
Public schools inside the boundary: Clinton Elementary, Nelson Elementary, Windsor Elementary, Burnaby South Secondary. 100% of homes are within 1 km of an elementary school. Check catchments with Burnaby Schools (School District 41).
Are the schools in Royal Oak good?
On provincial tests, Clinton Elementary beats 80% of BC schools, Nelson Elementary beats 70% of BC schools, Burnaby South Secondary beats 57% of BC schools and Windsor Elementary beats 44% of BC schools (FSA 2023/2024–2025/2026, graduation assessments 2022/2023–2024/2025). SD41 graduates 95.4% of students within six years (BC 92.5%). Test scores follow family income closely, so visit and talk to the school too.
How many people live in Royal Oak?
About 16,705 people (2021 Census), with a median age of 39.1. 65% of households own their home.
Is there good transit in Royal Oak?
96.5% of homes are within 400 m of a bus stop; 45 stops get 3,899 TransLink departures on a weekday. Transit grades A.
What day is garbage pickup in Royal Oak?
Thursday (zone 4A) for 34.6% of homes; Thursday (zone 4B) for 33.8% of homes; Wednesday (zone 3B) for 31.6% of homes, on the City curbside schedule.
Compare Burnaby neighbourhoods
Best overall · Best for families with young kids · Best for seniors and retirees · Best for commuters
- Brentwood B · 77
- Heights B · 76
- Garden Village B · 76
- South Slope B · 75
- East Burnaby B · 75
- Edmonds B · 74
- Montecito B · 74
- Lochdale B · 73
- Metrotown B · 73
- Broadview B · 72
- Holdom B · 71
- Lougheed B · 70
- Buckingham Heights B · 67
- Deer Lake B · 66
- Big Bend C · 60
- Lake City C · 59
- Bainbridge C · 57
- Burnaby Mountain C · 54
- Central Valley C · 54
Data last built 2026-11-06. How these grades are calculated