Girls' Schools

Girls' schools offer young women a chance to develop a strong sense of themselves and their abilities. All-girls' schools provide your daughter with an environment that encourages her to ask questions, express her feelings and state her opinions. This environment allows young women to make mistakes and learn positive lessons from them. Girls-only schools are designed to meet the unique learning styles of girls and surrounds girls with positive role models.

The National Association for Single Sex Public Education states that, in contrast to boys, "girls generalize the meaning of their failures because they interpret them as indicating that they have disappointed adults, and thus they are of little worth. In addition, because girls view evaluative feedback as diagnostic of their abilities, failure may lead them to incorporate this information into their more general view of themselves." One of the advantages of a girls only private school is that it can adapt to this, recognizing that girls respond this way and give feedback accordingly.

Girls school alumni include women leaders who testify about the value of single gender education in video and testimonial, including:

• Anne Rohmer, TV host and Branksome Hall grad
• Dr. Susan Quaggin, professor of Medicine at the U of T,
• Interior designer and TV host, Jane Lockhart
• author and playwright, Claudia Dey, St. Clement's School alumnus
• Karolyn Smardz Frost, historian, archeologist, Governor General's Award-winning author and St. Mildred's graduate
• Dr. Carolyn Bennett, a Liberal Member of Parliament
• Gillian Apps, a two-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist in women’s hockey
• Emily Murphy, Canada’s first female judge

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Types of Girls' Schools • Girls' Boarding Schools • Girls' Day Schools • Girls' Catholic Schools • Girls' Preschools • Girls' Elementary Schools • Girls' High Schools

Girls' Schools Near You • Girls' Schools BC • Girls' Schools in Alberta • Ontario Girls' Schools • Girls' Schools in Quebec • Girls' Schools in Nova Scotia • Girls' Schools USA & Europe

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Many parents find that their daughters feel less pressure at a girls school than they would elsewhere. For many young ladies, boys are intimidating and girls feel a need to worry about their appearance in front of them. An all girls setting removes a lot of these stresses and allow students to focus on academics first and foremost.

Private girls schools also provide your child with a comfortable forum to discuss distinctly female issues. In a different kind of environment, talking about such things as female body image, expectations, and sexuality might make students feel uncomfortable. However, at all girls schools, the environment facilitates more openness and girls gain confidence.

Things to Consider Before Choosing a Girls Private School

• What is the school's reputation? Do you have references from other parents or girls at the school?
• What is the school’s educational philosophy? Do you agree with it?
• Why would you prefer an all girls education to a coed school?
• How far is the school from where you live?
• Did the tour of the school impress you?
• Does the school have scholarships and bursaries available?

Plenty of all girls schools offer programs from kindergarten until grade twelve. And, some schools have both elementary institutions ("feeder schools") that are affiliated with middle or high schools.

For a much more in-depth look into all girls schools, visit one of our annual private school expos. Here, you will learn about what you need to know to navigate the private school selection and admissions processes.