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THE OUR KIDS REPORT:
Toronto Prep School

Grades Gr. 7 TO Gr. 12 — Toronto, ON (MAP)

Toronto Prep School:
THE OUR KIDS REPORT
REPORT CONTENTS:

Pages in this report:

  • Grades
    Gr. 7 — Gr. 12
  • Gender
    Coed
  • Class Size
    14 — 16 students
  • Tuition
    $32,250/year
  • Language of instruction
    English
  • Associations
    ECO, OFIS
  • Enrolment
    430 day students
  • Curriculum
    Traditional
  • EBROCHURE
    View eBrochure

School address

  • 250 Davisville Avenue, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1H2 (MAP)
  • Busing not available

Our Perspective

How we see Toronto Prep School


Our Kids Feature Review

  • Toronto Prep is a modern prep school in every way, giving students the skills and confidence they need to succeed at post-secondary study.
  • Family run, the feel is close knit, both for students and staff.
  • Toronto Prep offers a high level of student support. 

The 50-page review of Toronto Prep School is part of our series of in-depth accounts of Canada's leading private schools. It provides a unique and objective perspective on the school's academics, programs, culture, and community.

Read our in-depth review

Key insights from our research

  • Our teachers…I just feel they are the best. For them, it’s a vocation. They’ll naturally put an arm around a child who’s doing well and give them a high five, or they’ll naturally tell a child who is struggling ‘Come here, I want to help you,’ even if that child doesn’t ask for extra help. These teachers will just know.
    —From Interview with Toronto Prep School Director of Admissions: Fouli Tsimikalis.
  • One thing about Toronto Prep was that they were able to accommodate every single one of our daughter’s needs, every step of the way, in order for her to succeed. There was just a gamut of different teachers who were able to inspire him and make him feel compelled to work a little harder.
    —From 2021 roundtable discussion about Toronto Prep School. (The quote comes specifically from Phil Jones, a parent).
  • The teachers are all such unique individuals. Not only are they the cream of the crop in terms of educators, but they are great people. The school is very selective about who they bring on because they want to be working with good-hearted people. It’s the care and attention and the support that they provide to their students.
    —From Interview with Toronto Prep School alum: Shai Mandel.
See all our top insights

Featured articles

Night owls by nature

Some high schools, such as Toronto Prep School, are adapting their schedules to their students' sleep cycles.

Profile of Pete Tsimikalis, Principal, Toronto Prep School

Pete’s philosophy of education is largely influenced by his family’s history.

School's Perspective

Compare with:  

How Toronto Prep School sees itself


The school administration answered our questions

Who are you, as a school?

"The Toronto Prep School is completely dedicated to providing a superior academic program for the children of parents who value the importance of knowledge, technology, individuality, responsibility, and integrity in a safe, nurturing, and highly motivated environment. Our mission is to prepare our students by equipping them with the academic tools and life skills needed to enter and succeed not only at the post-secondary school level, but ultimately, in their chosen career path. Given the pace of technological change and the growth of information technologies in all aspects of our lives, it is crucial that students gain mastery over these tools. We are committed to developing students who are confident and responsible and exhibit the values necessary to become effective communicators, informed and productive thinkers, self-directed learners, collaborative workers, and skilled information processors and problem solvers. As educators we will develop the facility for learning and foster the motivation for students to continue to learn after their formal school years. We will challenge each student to maximize his or her effort and in so doing realize their potential. The development of a sound work ethic and effective organizational and study skills will be stressed."

  • A semestered, university preparatory curriculum
  • MacBook Pro 13"
  • Extended After School and Saturday Study Club Programs
  • On site English and Math Resource Centres with teachers
  • Member of SSAF and TDCAA Sports Organizations
  • Extra-curricular Clubs
  • Classes start at 10:00am daily
  • On site Fitness Centre

What do you do differently and uniquely well?

"Our people, atmosphere, and academic ethos differentiate TPS from other schools. While this sounds like an empty platitude, it is anything but. We believe that a school can be academically rigorous, but we also believe that teachers and administration should be approachable and create a comfortable environment. Growth does indeed occur when we are uncomfortable, but trust needs to be established before this growth exists."

To your knowledge, why do families choose your school over others?

"According to students and parents who have chosen TPS as their school, it seems personal attention, accountability, and academic flexibility are the deciding factors. Our semestered system, with a plethora of elective courses, allows students to find their passion and build a foundation upon which to launch their post-secondary journey. When students are provided with academic options and have the ability to choose a number of their classes, it makes for a better learning environment."

What aspect of your school is underappreciated?

"The most important aspect of TPS is its reliance and insistence on the importance of family. From admissions, through matriculation, and capstoned by graduation, a given student’s personal family blends with TPS’s educational family. By this, we mean that it is essential for the morals, values, and ethics of prospective families to meld with those of TPS. Academic integrity, familial gratitude, and respect for oneself and others are the hallmarks of TPS."

What might families find surprising about your school?

"Once families enter our campus, they are typically surprised by the breadth of our physical location. In addition to our 33 traditional classrooms, TPS bolsters a professional grade music recording studio, a 100 seat mainstage auditorium, a fully equipped, 2000 sq. ft. fitness studio, a wellness centre, and the list goes on."


School Facilities

Photo-tour of facilities


Athletics facilities


Arts facilities


Classrooms


Science facilities


Instructional resources


Shared spaces


School Videos

Insider Perspectives

How people from the school’s community see Toronto Prep School


Video reviews of Toronto Prep School

Roundtable Q&A (2021)

Watch our Toronto Prep School Q&A discussion with Shay Mendel (Alum), Astrid Fischer (Parent) to gain fresh insight into the school’s culture, values, and strengths.

Roundtable Q&A (2020)

Watch our Toronto Prep School Q&A discussion to gain fresh insight into the school's culture, values, and strengths.

Alum, Shai Mandel (2020)

Watch our alum interview with Shai Mandel to learn about the unique experience of attending Toronto Prep School.

School leadership

Top-down influence on the school’s direction and tone


Interview with school leader

Watch our Toronto Prep School leadership interview with Fouli Tsimikalis to learn about the academics, culture, and values of the school.
Watch the interview

Message from school leadership

Pete Tsimikalis, Principal
BA Hons, MPhil, PhD student

It gives me great pleasure, as Principal of Toronto Prep School, to welcome you to the official Toronto Prep School website. This website has been prepared in the hope that it will become for parents, students, and visitors to the site, a valuable source of school news and timely information. This website has been developed to enable everyone to become familiar with our school, its policies, and other procedures that are basic for the smooth functioning of our school, as well as to provide you with updated school news, schedules and events.

The website is for many an introduction to the Toronto Prep School as a new, private, co-educational, university preparatory day school option.

Parents are increasingly concerned about the role education will play in securing the future they want for their children. Parents recognize that superior schools prepare children not just for today's test but rather for all of life's tests. Acceptance to a prominent university is not good enough; the ability to succeed once you are there and beyond is the goal.

Parents understand that the best education is a values-added experience that offers a rigorous academic curriculum, a structured, nurturing environment with an appropriate integration of technology to promote literacy and numeracy, but also values the importance of hard work, personal responsibility, respect, leadership and maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. Our small class sizes and commitment to positive discipline play integral parts in the recognition and fostering of individual strengths. Dedicated and caring teachers challenge students to strive for excellence while encouraging social responsibility. We provide a community where achievement, character development and academics are equally important aspects of the total educational experience. Helping students develop a life-long love of learning is our ultimate goal.

Our curriculum places a premium on students taking an active role in their own education. Learning by doing promotes a spirit of inquisitiveness and a deeper understanding of ideas. Talented and committed faculty members put students in the forefront and challenge them to pursue their dreams. Teachers who genuinely enjoy working with and connecting with young people engage our students to take constructive risks as they develop academic and personal attributes we value.

Our goal is to inspire all our students to develop both creative and analytical skills, which are essential to successful learning, while supporting them as they accept responsibility for who they are and what kind of people they want to become. We, as educators, have a rich history of achievement to draw upon. We step confidently forward to challenge ourselves and our students to excel.

A great deal of information about our programs, and our calendar is at your fingertips, and I invite you to explore the Toronto Prep experience.


Sincerely,

Pete Tsimikalis
Principal


THE OUR KIDS REPORT: Toronto Prep School

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