Lord Nelson School opened in 1911. It was named after the 19th century British Admiral, Horatio Nelson. Its 75th Anniversary was celebrated in 1986. The size of the school was increased in 1930, 1952, and 1964. The playground west of the school was added in 1965 and the portables were permanently installed in 1968. 

Enrollment peaked in 1968 with over 1110 students in attendance. During the 2004-2005 school year, there were approximately 500 students attending Lord Nelson in 23 classrooms. The make-up of the neighborhood and school populations have changed dramatically since its opening. During the 1940's to the 1970's, Italian-Canadians were a predominant ethnic group in the student body. Currently, Nelson has 388 students in 18 divisions with a diverse mixture of children from around the world: 

• 60% of our students speak English as their First Language 
• 25 Cantonese and 2% Mandarin 
• 7% Vietnamese 
• 8% (have either Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Armenian, Filipino and Israeli backgrounds)