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Canada houses some of the best International high schools for young, passionate teens striving for growth, or parents who want their children to attend a top-tier high school with a safe environment without worry. Canadian educational institutions boast top-level teaching and great affordability compared to international schools in the US and Switzerland. The high-quality education received at the institutes has helped many of their students enroll in top universities and prepare them to be pillars of society. The way that Canada ranks their international high schools is based on 5 criteria:
- Faculty qualifications, credentials, and development
- Acceptance rate into universities
- Alumni success post-university graduation
- Academic performance on standardized test scores
- Extracurricular programs
1. Upper Canada College (UCC)
Grades: K-12
Curriculum: International Baccalaureate (IB)
Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent boys’ school in Toronto, Canada. According to CEO World magazine, it is ranked number 119 among the world’s best international high schools. It enrolls 1,268 students from Senior Kindergarten through Year 12, including 88 international students. UCC offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, providing a comprehensive education emphasizing academic excellence, co-curricular involvement, and leadership. It offers significant financial aid, with 20% of students receiving assistance.
For more details, visit their official site here.
2. Branksome Hall
Grades: K-12
Curriculum: International Baccalaureate (IB)
Branksome Hall is a private all-girls school located in Toronto, Canada, and is one of the highest-profile girls’ schools in the country. The institute has an Inquiry-based learning process that encourages students to learn by making real-world connections and high-level questioning so that they can implement their education in real-life scenarios. It currently houses 904 students to date, and encourages their students to strive to become role models in their respective careers as female representatives. The school focuses on entrepreneurship and being innovative to shape the future. It has a campus that expands 13 acres allowing for a multitude of extracurricular activities such as soccer, country running, alpine skiing, and golf, to name a few.
For more details, visit their official site here.
3. Columbia International College (CIC)
Grades: 9-12
Curriculum: Canadian Curriculum
Located in Hamilton, Ontario, Columbia International College, or CIC, houses over 1700 students. The institute created a program called Total Care Education System specifically for international students, which is aligned with Ontario’s educational Motto, ASEP (Academic, Social, Emotional, Physical). This educational system was devised to touch upon all aspects of a student’s life, including academics, social life, social skills, emotional support and care, and physical well-being. This helps cater a curriculum for each student with their goals in mind to help increase chances of success; this considers a few things, which are choice of university, major, and how far they plan on taking their education (Master, Ph.D). Once the student completes this program, they will be issued an OSSD (Ontario Secondary School Diploma), allowing that student to enter their chosen university without exams.
4. Bodwell High Private School
Grades: 8-12
Curriculum: British Columbia
Bodwell High Private School is among the top 20 boarding schools in Canada, and more than half of its student body are international students from over 40 different countries, accepting 550 students every year. This enables a thriving social life and the opportunity to interact and learn about many cultures worldwide in one institute. Located in North Vancouver, Canada, Bodwell encourages students to master English to help them excel in universities. In addition, many international students who complete their schooling program are offered scholarships to attend the university they were accepted to. Bodwell also provides advanced placement (AP) courses to allow students with a particular passion for a specific subject to enter a much more intensive curriculum. These AP classes include language, chemistry, art and design, calculus, and physics.
5. J. Addison School
Grades: 8-12
Curriculum: Canadian Curriculum
Just north of Toronto in Markham, Canada, lies J. Addison School, a boarding school that follows the Ontario education system of ASEP. The unique system of J. Addison School is a program that is called the “Focus For Success” Adaptive program referred to as FFS. It is in addition to the Ontario curriculum, but it provides a more comprehensive overall development for each student. It is an additional period/class added to the end of the day to put the students in an extracurricular activity of their choice. This enables character-building, socializing, and allows students to explore avenues that they had never thought about exploring previously. The students can choose from several activities which include free tutoring and academic assistance from qualified teachers within the faculty. J. Addison School also provides a program in which international student’s families can relocate to Canada with their children. They provide many services, such as searching for living accommodations near school grounds, assistance with initial furnishing, and an additional $2,000 CAD per family for any services rendered.
5. J. Addison School
Grades: 9-12
Curriculum: Canadian Curriculum
Located in Hamilton, Ontario, Columbia International College, or CIC, houses over 1700 students. The institute created a program called Total Care Education System specifically for international students, which is aligned with Ontario’s educational Motto, ASEP (Academic, Social, Emotional, Physical). This educational system was devised to touch upon all aspects of a student’s life, including academics, social life, social skills, emotional support and care, and physical well-being. This helps cater a curriculum for each student with their goals in mind to help increase chances of success; this considers a few things, which are choice of university, major, and how far they plan on taking their education (Master, Ph.D). Once the student completes this program, they will be issued an OSSD (Ontario Secondary School Diploma), allowing that student to enter their chosen university without exams.
6. Ridley College
Grades: 6-12
Curriculum: International Baccalaureate
Ridley College, located in St. Catharines, boasts an amazing 100% acceptance to prestigious universities in Canada, the US, and other top-tier universities from across the world. This Institute covers over 90 acres of land, including residential housing and infrastructure for extracurricular activities to help students develop their talents. Ridley has a student body of over 800 students, with over 40% being international students. Ridley College emphasizes academic excellence as it is among Canada’s top 50 best boarding schools. Through a newly developed strategy called “Leading with Heart,” which is an 8-step process to focus on the student’s strengths and to equip them with critical and creative thinking and tackle real-life situations to prepare them for the real world.
7. Bishop College School (BCS)
Grades: 7-12
Curriculum: Canadian Curriculum, International Baccalaureate
Bishop College School, established in 1836, is located in Quebec, and has a massive 250-acre campus that caters to 250 students along with their faculty and land for housing their students and sports facilities to help boost students’ extracurricular activities. Bishop college encourages a very close and nurturing environment because the student body is only 250, and classroom sizes are much more family-like, allowing more one-on-one interactions with teachers. Due to the large campus, athletics play a big part in students’ daily life at BCS, where students participate in either a team sport or individual sport 5 times a week, 3 times a year.
8. Brookes Westshire Private Boarding School
Grades: 8-12
Curriculum: International Baccalaureate
Brookes Westshire Private Boarding School was established in 2009 with a brand new campus in 2018 in Victoria with the latest technology and facilities. This institute emphasizes a holistic approach to education, encompassing academics, leadership skills, competitive sports, Arts, and community service events. Brookes Westshore is globally connected to a large network of schools in the US, UK, South Korea, and Russia. Students at Brookes are allowed to graduate with not just an IB diploma, but also a BC (British Columbia) Dogwood Diploma and be able to enter their first year at universities in Canada and the United States.
9. Pickering College
Grades: 7-12
Curriculum: Canadian Curriculum
Founded in 1842 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, Pickering College is part of the Ontario education system, which is the top in the world. Housing over 400 students, Pickering College offers a comprehensive education from preschool to grade 12, with international schooling starting at grade 7. Pickering college has a unique feature that other campuses generally do not have: a fully licensed, student-operated radio station for both the campus and the Newmarket community. This can open many doors for many students who wish to become editors, hosts, and interviewers and learn how to manage and deal with day-to-day operations at a radio station. Their goal is to be innovative, instill those very ideas into their students, develop leadership skills, and make a name for themselves in society.
10. Unisus IB World School
Grades: K-12
Curriculum: International Baccalaureate
Unisus, created to nurture the world’s future leaders, is in Okanagan Valley. The institute has four foundational pillars, The IB diploma, Outdoor Education, Technology and innovation, and Entrepreneurship. Unisus being one of the few boarding schools that offer an IB program, they keep their classrooms small, averaging about 13 per classroom, so that the faculty can focus on better helping their students excel in their academics. The holistic pillars of the school ensure that the students are well-rounded in all aspects, so when they are ready to go into universities, they are well equipped to easily be accepted and move on to being successful icons in their respective fields.
Choosing the right international school in Canada can be a challenging decision given the variety of excellent options available. Each school offers a unique blend of curricula, extracurricular activities, and educational philosophies to cater to different needs and preferences. Whether you prioritize academic rigor, a well-rounded education, or a particular curriculum, Canada’s international schools provide exceptional opportunities for your child’s growth and development!
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