Two excellent public schools serve the needs of children living in the District. On our doorstep, in Antigonish, is Saint Francis Xavier University, one of the outstanding undergraduate universities in Canada. Nova Scotia Community College Campuses are nearby as well, with the Strait Campus and Nautical Institute just across the Canso Causeway in Port Hawkesbury.

The District’s largest school, Chedabucto Place is in the Shiretown of Guysborough. The Chedabucto Education Centre is for students from primary to grade eight, and Guysborough Academy is the District’s high school, for grades nine through twelve. At Chedabucto Education Centre/ Guysborough Academy the professional staff believes in improving student learning by designing programming and support to meet the needs of each student. They also believe in improving the school climate by establishing a student-centered atmosphere that values and respects the individual and the learning environment.

The Fanning Education Centre Canso Academy is located in the picturesque community of Hazel Hill, in eastern Guysborough County. It is a modern Primary to Twelve school that offers education programs and services that enable students to develop their potential and acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to a healthy, active, and prosperous society. The staff of Fanning Education Centre Canso Academy encourages parents/guardians to take an active role in promoting a positive and collaborative environment.

The District has two public libraries. The Cyril Ward Memorial Library, located on Pleasant Street in Guysborough, is open Monday-Thursday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m; Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It offers public computers; wireless internet access as well as photocopying and fax service. The library is named in honor of its benefactor Cyril Newton Ward, who was born in Hazel Hill in 1893. Mr. Ward worked in the banking industry in Canada and the United States before retiring to Guysborough County in 1958. A prolific reader, he provided a generous bequest to the Municipality to construct the library building. The Canso Library, located on Main Street in Canso, is open Monday to Thursday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It offers public computers; wireless internet access as well as photocopying and fax service.