School can be hard enough, without being immersed in a second language. However, language schools can offer a challenging learning environment and mastering a second language, such as French, German, Polish, or Mandarin, can open up job opportunities later in life. Read more
Access school reviews, insights, and comparisons through our comprehensive reports below.
These are the leading schools that Our Kids editors have covered most extensively so far, providing detailed insights and thorough analysis of their programs, student life, and more.
"Founded in 1962, TFS offers an exceptional English and French education from 20 months to Grade 12. TFS teaches the curricula of France and Ontario within the International Baccalaureate framework.
—From the school
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 Mississauga, Ontario Cawthra/Lakeshore "TFS' West Campus in Mississauga offers the curricula of France and Ontario within the IB framework from PK to Grade 7. Our bilingual, coed, non-denominational environment fosters curious learners and engaged citizens." —From the school
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 Oakville, Ontario Trafalgar Road/Dundas "TRMS uniquely provides enriched French as a second language (FSL) instruction for all levels from Preschool to Elementary. We give students a head start in their educational journey, instilling a "Love of Learning!"" —From the school
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 Toronto, Ontario Spadina Ave/College Street "Authentic, CCMA accredited Montessori Schools located in downtown Toronto, offering programs for Toddlers, Casa, Elementary and Adolescent children in beautiful settings with large and expansive natural playgrounds." —From the school
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 Ottawa, Ontario Place Lycée Pl./Ruelle Hinks Lane "Our goal is to nurture curious spirits, which is why we value a multilingual pedagogy that encourages both French immersion and a wide selection of langage courses. French and excellence are our priorities." —From the school
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 Toronto, Ontario Dufferin/Eglinton "The Lycée Français de Toronto offers the excellence of the French curriculum in a multicultural setting, developing strong academics, full bilingualism, and globally minded students." —From the school
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 Calgary, Alberta "Calgary French & International School's immersive language learning environment and enriched curriculum inspires a deep curiosity, respect and exploration of the world for children aged 19 months to 18 years." —From the school
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 Ottawa, Ontario Iris St/Woodroffe Ave "Empowering girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 through bilingual education." —From the school
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 Toronto, Ontario "At Central Montessori School (CMS), young minds are inspired to be creative, innovative, and inquisitive. We cultivate bright, young leaders and strong communicators ready for the 21st century." —From the school
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 Mississauga, Ontario Erin Mills Pkwy/Millcreek Drive "Western Heights offers an enriched Montessori program that fosters a love of learning. The school actively engages its close-knit parent community to offer an enriched curriculum that adapts to each student's needs." —From the school
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 Whitby, Ontario Brock Street South/Dundas Streer West "The Hatch House Montessori School is a very child centered school where each student is respected for their uniqueness and is guided through learning accordingly. Ask about our unique, fully bilingual elementary program." —From the school
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 Westmount, Quebec Mount Pleasant Avenue/Cedar Avenue "Located in Montreal, QC, Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School offers a bilingual education for girls from K-12. From entrepreneurship to STEAM, our unique learning environment empowers girls to lead the way." —From the school
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 Brampton, Ontario "KMSchool offers accredited Montessori education from 18 months to Grade 12, blending academic excellence with ethnic language, culture, and faith to nurture well-rounded, curious, and culturally grounded students." —From the school
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 Kirkland, Quebec Rue Edmond/Ch Ste-Marie "Kuper Academy offers programs from pre-school to Pre-University (Grade 12) in Kirkland. Its average class size is 22 students." —From the school
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 North Vancouver, British Columbia Wellington Dr/Fromme Rd "Cousteau School offers a bilingual French-English education with a dual curriculum: the French Ministry of Education program and the BC curriculum, fostering academic excellence and global citizenship." —From the school
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 Montreal, Quebec Rue Sherbrooke/Ave Connaught "College Prep International, a traditional private school in Montreal, offers English instruction with partial French immersion, for grades five to twelve. Its average class size range from 12 to 18 Students." —From the school
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 North York, Ontario York Mills/Leslie "We follow the Montessori philosophy: connection before instruction. We customize, personalize, and honor the individuality of every child, nurturing growth through trust, respect, and thoughtful guidance." —From the school
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 Calgary, Alberta Garrison Blvd SW/33 Ave SW "Vision : Cultivating citizens who shape the future, locally and globally. Mission: Fostering a challenging, transformative bilingual education in a multicultural environment, bringing out excellence in every student." —From the school
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 Kanata, Ontario • Kanata, Province Eagleson Road/Stonehaven Drive "For 50 years, Kanata Montessori has offered excellent learning environments for students to grow emotionally, socially and academically into a positive global citizen." —From the school
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 Rigaud, Quebec Rue Saint-Pierre/Rue Bourget "Collège Bourget is a day and boarding school located between Montreal and Ottawa. French and English high school programs are offered. Bourget aims to foster personal autonomy, academic development, and perseverance." —From the school
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 Sherbrooke, Quebec "Bishop's College School is an English boarding and day school for students in grades 7 through 12. Small in size and culturally diverse, BCS is an IB World School offering the IB Diploma Programme and Canadian curricula." —From the school
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 Toronto, Ontario Yonge St/Sheppard Ave "Ontario Virtual School is an Ontario Ministry-inspected credit-granting institution offering Grades 6-12 courses in an interactive online format. Students can start anytime with 24/7 access." —From the school
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 Mississauga, Ontario "Guiding Light Academy is a Catholic private elementary school in Streetsville, Mississauga. We offer an enriched curriculum for JK, SK and Grades 1 to 8. We are located just minutes away from the Streetsville Go Station." —From the school
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 Calgary, Alberta Blackfoot Trail SE/Glenmore Trail "With a 100% post-secondary acceptance rate, WIC students explore their passions with courage, build meaningful connections, and grow through challenge — supported by dedicated teachers and academic rigour." —From the school
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 Richmond Hill, Ontario Leslie/Elgin Mills "In addition to providing high-quality Montessori education, YMS offers French and Music, on-site after-school classes, off-site field trips, theme-based summer camp, parent education workshops, and family social events." —From the school
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 Montreal / Westmount, Quebec "Our community inspires students to discover joy and passion in their learning, purpose in their lives, and the confidence to express their unique selves in a nurturing, inclusive, and collaborative environment." —From the school
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 Mississauga, Ontario Glen Erin/Dundas "Kaban Montessori School is a CCMA accredited school in the west area of Mississauga . Our environments foster each child's interests and abilities while supporting them to achieve their full potential." —From the school
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 North York, Ontario Leslie Street/401 "Enriched STEM, Arts, and AP learning environment with individualized programming, small classes, and personalized support built around each student’s strengths, university goals, and future success." —From the school
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 Toronto, Ontario "GIST is Toronto’s only full-time trilingual school (English, French, German). As an IB World School, we offer a European-style education with a focus on languages and STEM in small, supportive classes." —From the school
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 Markham / Stouffville, Ontario Woodbine Ave/Major Mackenzie Dr E "Royal Cachet has authentic Montessori programs for infants to grade 6 in our healthy and safe environments. We focus on the Language & Math areas of the Montessori Curriculum & encourage our students to grow and succeed." —From the school
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 Ottawa, Ontario St. Laurent Blvd./Montreal Rd. "Our mission is personalized student academic success in a friendly and caring school community, in which all students are emotionally supported and socially welcome." —From the school
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 Amaranth, Ontario "The Maples is an established private IB World School in Orangeville, Ontario providing exemplary education for students (Pre-School to Grade 8). French instruction in PS and Kindergarten with an academic focus." —From the school
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 Laval, Quebec Notre-Dame/ "Laval’s only private English high school—no certificate of eligibility required. A launchpad for future leaders, lifelong learners, and thoughtful citizens through strong academics and real-world learning. Grades 7-12." —From the school
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 Nepean, Ontario "R.I.S.E. Academy empowers youth with personalized, experiential learning rooted in equity and the UN SDGs.We focus on inquiry-based, culturally relevant education that fosters creativity, leadership, and community impact" —From the school
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 Toronto / Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario Ellerslie/Yonge St "TFMS offers bilingual education in English and French from Pre-K to Gr. 8. Spanish is introduced as a second language from Gr. 1–8. Small classes and Christian values support each child’s full development and growth." —From the school
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 Pickering, Ontario Kingston/Altona "At École Montessori, students become bilingual critical thinkers through a rich French Montessori curriculum that fosters independence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning." —From the school
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“It’s like value-added education,” says Fred Genesee, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec who has studied secondary language education for more than 30 years. “Students acquire the same levels of academic competencies, as well as picking up a second language. I don’t see any real drawbacks to attending a language school.”
Both of Val Hougen’s children, Sarah in Grade 7 and Alex in Grade 3, attend Calgary French International School in Calgary, Alberta. Hougen enrolled Sarah at the French immersion school in Kindergarten. “Sometimes people have strong feelings about language schools. They’re worried that English skills will suffer,” Hougen says. “I haven’t found that. I don’t see their English skills weak or lacking.” Hougen was so impressed that four years later, she enrolled Alex at the school too. Genesee says his research supports Hougen’s observation. “There is no evidence that a student’s English skills suffer at a French immersion school,” he says. “A lot of the literacy skills they learn transfer to English.”
Jean-Marc Wilkie, a Grade 10 student at the Calgary school, has spoken French all of his life since his mom is a Francophone from Montreal. “For me, it’s really important to keep my French,” says Jean-Marc, who recently began taking the mandatory Spanish classes too. “Learning Spanish wasn’t hard at all because I’ve had English and French my whole life,” he says. “I think it definitely gives us something positive to build on later.”
French immersion isn’t the only language school option. Fulford Academy in Brockville, Ontario offers international students a gap year program to master their English skills before moving on to a North American boarding school or university. Students work on mastering English through English fundamentals and credit support classes. Fulford Academy also prepares its students for life in Canada with frequent evening and weekend excursions. “It’s not just an ESL curriculum; they focus on the cultural integration, too,” says Anna Galanta, admissions director at Appleby College, a boarding school in Oakville, Ontario. “The Fulford grads are well-prepared when they get here.”
Haymund Fung arrived at Fulford from Hong Kong in 2008. He and his parents thought attending Fulford would better prepare him to attend a Canadian boarding school. At Fulford, Haymund had roommates from Germany, Korea and Russia. Fulford places students with kids of different backgrounds so they’re forced to speak English. “My favourite part about Fulford is the friendships I developed there,” says Haymund, who is now finishing up at Appleby College and has received early acceptance into commerce programs at Ryerson and York universities.
Galanta wishes more international students would take advantage of Fulford’s curriculum. “Culturally, there’s such an apprehension about sending kids to an ESL school. These are bright kids, so parents think ‘my kid’s perfect. He doesn’t need an ESL school,’” she says. “But, no matter how bright the child is, there’s still going to be a big culture shock when they get here. Fulford can help them adapt.”
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The benefits of a bilingual education
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Bilingual Polish-English schools in Canada
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Language boarding schools
Find the top private boarding language schools (August 29, 2019)
Language day schools
(August 29, 2019)
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