For a family, choosing a new semi-detached home near Hampstead rarely starts with the kitchen: you look at the school, the backyard and the nearest park first. Those are the first questions that come up when you consider another town.

Moving from Hampstead to Sainte-Julie with kids raises practical questions: which school, in which language, how far away? How much room to play? How will the older ones get around? This article answers them from public sources: the 2021 Census, documents from the school boards and service centres, and the City of Sainte-Julie. It promises neither a seat nor a specific school: those decisions belong to the school authorities.

Hampstead, a town of families

In Hampstead, 39.7% of households are couples with children, compared with 33.3% in Sainte-Julie and 22.7% across Quebec (2021 Census). According to the Institut de la statistique du Québec, 24.6% of Hampstead residents were under 20 on July 1, 2025; in Sainte-Julie, 21.9%. In 2021, children aged 14 and under made up 19.8% of Hampstead's population, and 17.3% of Sainte-Julie's. The two towns share that trait: lots of families, and housing made up largely of houses.

Hampstead's children enjoy Hampstead Park and seven other parks, a network of footpaths linking several of them, a municipal pool and tennis courts. Those are useful benchmarks for judging what Sainte-Julie has to offer.

School in English: what do the rules say?

In the 2021 Census, 77.7% of Hampstead children born from 2003 to 2015 were eligible for instruction in English, compared with 9.3% in Sainte-Julie and 18.8% across Quebec; 935 of those children had been taught in English. For many Hampstead families, the question of English schooling comes up early.

In Quebec, eligibility for English public school is governed by the Charter of the French Language. Quebec's education ministry gives one example: the children of a Canadian citizen parent who, under certain circumstances, received most of their elementary education in English in Canada, along with their brothers and sisters. The full rules are set out in the law, and it's the Riverside School Board, which serves Sainte-Julie, that confirms each child's file. Check with the board before you make a decision.

The English schools serving Sainte-Julie

In its "Programs and School Zones for 2026-2027" guide, the Riverside School Board places Sainte-Julie in the zones of four schools. The distances and times below are by car, without traffic, from Geoffrion Street; these are the same four schools as in the board's previous guide:

Cedar Street, elementary school (English Program), in Beloeil: 8.6 km, about 12 minutes;
Courtland Park International, elementary school offering the bilingual International Baccalaureate program, in Saint-Bruno: 10.8 km, about 15 minutes;
Mount Bruno, French immersion elementary school, in Saint-Bruno: 12.7 km, about 18 minutes;
Heritage Regional High School, secondary school, in Saint-Hubert (Longueuil): 19.0 km, about 18 minutes.

The school assigned depends on your address and the program you choose, and this article promises no seat. Contact Riverside to find out which school serves your future address and how registration works.

French-language schools, and daily life in French

Sainte-Julie falls under the Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes, the French-language school service centre, which runs seven elementary schools in the town, along with École secondaire du Grand-Coteau and the Centre de formation professionnelle des Patriotes, according to its 2026-2027 list.

Day to day, Sainte-Julie lives in French: in the 2021 Census, 47.3% of its residents knew French only, and 52.0% knew both French and English. The City's website is in French, and the availability of municipal services in English hasn't been verified: ask the City directly. It's something to know before you choose; in Hampstead, 74.6% of residents already know both languages.

From Hampstead to Sainte-Julie with kids: the house and the yard

BÉAcité homes have a garden-level backyard and a private garden, and several lots have no neighbours behind them. The site plan for the 50 lots includes two parks and a stormwater pond. The Vilamo neighbourhood, for its part, sets aside 600,000 sq ft for green space, more than 15% of its area, with a promenade for pedestrians, bikes and electric transportation.

Inside, 405 and 423 each have three bedrooms, and 423 has a finished basement. The Duo cottage offers 2,018 sq ft of living space, or 2,356 sq ft with the optional mezzanine. For a family that wants to plan a playroom or an office, our article on the customizable new home near Hampstead lays out the options you choose before construction.

Getting around Sainte-Julie: free buses, paths and a library

In Sainte-Julie, local public transit is free for everyone, at all times, on every route, and in Vilamo, every home is within 300 m of a bus stop. For teenagers, that can make a first taste of independence easier. The town also has more than 40 km of walking and cycling paths, a BIXI station at Parc Arthur-Gauthier and its own public library; Hampstead, which doesn't have one, instead offers a rebate on a membership at a public library elsewhere on the island.

Mont-Saint-Bruno National Park borders Sainte-Julie, and Ski Saint-Bruno is 8.8 km from Geoffrion Street. The beacite.com website also mentions three years of free membership at Espace Tonik Nature. And closer to home, Vilamo's commercial strip, within walking distance, brings together a pharmacy, a public market, restaurants and medical services.

Come and see as a family

To get a real feel for moving from Hampstead to Sainte-Julie with kids, nothing beats a family visit. The sales office at 435 Geoffrion Street is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; on evenings and weekends, visits are by appointment at 514-812-9633 (call or text) or ventes@beacite.com. On weekends, plan to drive: no bus runs to Geoffrion Street then. For directions, see our guide to visiting a model home from Hampstead.

Conclusion

From Hampstead to Sainte-Julie with kids, what mostly changes is the everyday language and the distance; what you find again is space, parks and schools in both languages. The Riverside School Board serves Sainte-Julie, the Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes has its schools there, and BÉAcité homes offer a backyard, a garden and bedrooms for the family. Check your children's eligibility with Riverside, then come see the homes.

From Hampstead to Sainte-Julie with kids: schools, yards and parks