"Alternative schools" refers to any school that offers a curriculum, learning environment, or philosophical predisposition that diverges markedly from the mainstream. Typical examples of alternative private schools and preschools include Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, and Arrowsmith. Read more
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Lynn-Rose Heights Private School offers challenging academic programming from three years old to grade twelve in Mississauga. Lynn-Rose Heights school is an official International Baccalaureate World School.
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The York School is a JK to Grade 12 co-ed, independent, International Baccalaureate school in midtown Toronto. The school is accredited by CAIS, IBO, and CIS.
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Royal Cachet Montessori School is a Montessori school that offers programs from nursery to grade three in Markham. Its average class size is five to 15 students.
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Sunnybrook School offers a fully integrated 1:1 iPad program for all students in JK - Grade 6.
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St. John's-Kilmarnock School, in Waterloo, offers enriched educational programming for students from JK – Grade 12 through its accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. Its average class size is 17.
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Shepherd Montessori Private Catholic School in Mississauga offers Casa Montessori programs for children a ged 2.5 to 6. Before- and after-school care and summer camps also available.
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Located in the heart of Toronto, Upper Canada College is the oldest independent boys' school in Ontario. Our IB graduates are highly regarded by top universities and post-secondary institutions worldwide.
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Waldorf Academy offers programs from childcare to grade eight in downtown Toronto. Its average class size is 18 students.
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Elmwood School is Ottawa's pre-eminent school for girls from JK to Grade 12. Our high academic standards, small class sizes and safe, supportive environment ensure that each girl is inspired to reach her full potential.
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Toronto Waldorf School offers a curriculum that integrates academics,arts & movement, and addresses the intellectual, physical, emotional & social aspects of child development. Preschool to gr. 12.
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Clanmore is one of the few schools offering authentic Montessori programming from Toddler - Middle School. Our culture is warm and inviting and our philosophy empowers us to support each child as a unique individual.
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An authentic, CCMA accredited Montessori School located in downtown Toronto, offering programs for Toddlers, Casa and Elementary children.
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TMS is a leading, accredited independent school that offers a unique design of Montessori and International Baccalaureate programmes. Our students thrive in academics while building a foundation of Significance.
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Conveniently located in Midtown Toronto, our Junior and Elementary campuses are a popular choice for families seeking exceptional childcare and the very best Montessori education for their children.
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Branksome Hall is Toronto’s only all-girls, all-years International Baccalaureate (IB) World School.
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St. Jude's Academy is an IB World School that offers programs from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Mississauga. A university preparatory school with a focus on student life, average class size is 16 to 18 students.
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Richland Academy is a progressive, innovative Reggio inspired and International Baccalaureate (IB) World School for children from 2.8-years to Grade 8. Voted #1 Private School in Richmond Hill 4 years in a row.
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Acadecap International School ( Académie de la Capitale), an IB school, offers bilingual and/or English programmes from Pre-K to Grade 12. Students thrive in a culture of academic excellence and real-life learning.
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Pine Lake Montessori School pursues teaching with a one on one method that respects and nurtures children and allows them to achieve their fullest potential.
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Ellington Montessori School offers small class sizes and individualized programs from pre-school to grade eight. Our holistic approach to education helps prepare students for success in today's rapidly changing world.
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OMS Montessori is a non for profit, independent school offering separate French and English programs within a world class Montessori environment.
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Century Montessori Schools in Richmond Hill runs from preschool to grade twelve, with class sizes as low as 12 students.
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RMS is an award-winning progressive private school, and voted the BEST private school in Brampton. We offer a structured programme that is ahead of the Ministry set guidelines.
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The Element nurtures focused, engaged and internally motivated students who strive to do their best. The Element High School provides conditions that will put youth ‘in their element,’ in school and beyond.
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Meadowridge is an IB Continuum World School that supports the development of the whole child in a safe, supportive and challenging environment.
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Wheatley School offers programs from nursery to grade eight in St. Catharines. Its average class size is 15 students.
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MJDS inspires a lifetime love for learning in a nurturing environment that fosters respect for oneself, the community and the world, guided by the shared values of Judaism and Montessori education.
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Situated on seven acres of rolling parkland and gardens, Country Garden Montessori Academy in Newmarket is a co-ed private day school for students in grades PS-12. The school provides a family atmosphere and is committed the intellectual growth and emotional well-being of students.
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La Villa Montessori is an AMI recognized School that adheres to Dr. Montessori's principles. We provide a nurturing environment that fulfills the child's emotional, social, physical and intellectual needs.
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Located in Brantford, Ontario, Montessori House of Children (MHC) provides excellent programs for grades Nursery to 3 and helps young children reach their learning potential with both independent and self-directed learning. MHC also offers support for students with learning differences.
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Halton Waldorf School in Burlington, Ontario offers a licensed preschool, kindergarten and grades 1 to 12. It’s average class size is 15 to 21 students.
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Rotherglen School - MISSISSAUGA is a montessori school that offers programs from pre-school to grade eight. Its average class size is 18 students.
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NOW WITH LICENSED DAYCARE! Bring your child for a free trial to let him or her experience the difference. Don't be surprised if he or she doesn't want to go home at the end of the day!
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Offering Montessori programs from Toddler to Grade 8, Dearcroft is accredited by CCMA and staffed by dedicated teachers.
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Located in Vaughan, King Heights Academy provides a unique educational experience for toddlers to grade eight, which includes the IB Program.
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Wishing Well Schools has an academically advanced program from 18 months to Grade 8. Montessori program from 18 months to 6 years old, accelerated academic program from Grade 1 to 8 with 21st c. teaching and learning.
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Montessori Country School has provided a first-class academic experience to students in an environment that is distinguished by its compassion, integrity and unwavering commitment to the individual child.
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Humberside Montessori Schools a montessori private school in Toronto. It offers programs from nursery to grade eight.
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Toronto French Montessori offers programs from pre-school to grade eight in North York. Its average class size is 15 students.
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Ellesmere Montessori School prepares children for a lifetime of creative and purposeful learning based on the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori.
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GNS, an independent JK-12 International Baccalaureate day-school in Victoria, BC, that challenges and supports each of our students to do their best through truth and courage in learning and in life.
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Northstar Montessori offers authentic Montessori programs from Toddler to Grade 8 in Mississauga. We pride ourselves on strong character development and supporting life long learners! Now, Swim program is now included.
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Rothesay Netherwood School offers programs for grades 6 to 12 in Rothesay, New Brunswick. Its average class size is 16 students and it is an outstanding engaged and supportive community -'It's our Nature to Nurture'.
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Montessori School of Wellington in Guelph is the only CCMA accredited school in Guelph and the number one choice for children's education and life skill
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Avalon provides quality programmes from kindergarten to Grade 8 in the heart of the Beach.
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Kaban Montessori School in west Mississauga/Erin Mills is a CCMA accredited school for children aged 6 months to 12 years. Come for a tour, you'll love it!
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Aurora Montessori School offers an extensive, nurturing, enriched program for 395 day students from Toddler to Grade 8 including an Outdoor Ed Classroom and the option to earn an OSSD credit in Grade 9 Academic Math.
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Montessori Learning Centre of Pickering is a non denominational school that offers programs from Pre-school to Grade eight. We acknowledge and celebrate religious and cultural events as part of our cultural program.
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Tall Pines School in Brampton provides enhanced Montessori and traditional classes from Infant to Grade Eight, is the longest accredited CCMA Montessori school in Canada, and is a leader in 21st Century education.
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The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one - the period from birth to the age of six. Choose Central Montessori Schools.
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ABC Montessori is one of Mississauga's premier private schools. The school offers both Montessori and traditional school programs from preschool to Grade 5.
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Bannockburn School leads in Montessori education by offering an exceptional, enriched Montessori curriculum in a nurturing environment carefully prepared to meet the needs of children in the formative years of childhood.
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Maria Montessori School is an AMI accredited Montessori school in Toronto that offers programs for children 18 months to twelve years.
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For over 25 years, the Montessori Country School provides a first-class accredited curriculum for students 12 months through grade 6. The sprawling 10 acre campus offers a unique indoor and outdoor learning experience.
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Rotherglen School - OAKVILLE offers programs from pre-school to grade eight. Its average class size is 18 students.
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Central Montessori Schools in Toronto offers instruction from nursery to grade six, with enrolment of 900 day students and tuition starting at $5,900.
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École secondaire francophone privée pour jeunes filles située à Outremont, Qc. Les frais de scolarité sont de 4 500 $ par année. Elle offre les profils Éducation internationale, Danse-études et Musique-études.
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The Hatch House Montessori School is a very child centered school where each student is respected for his/her uniqueness and is taught accordingly. Ask about our unique, fully bilingual elementary program.
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Bishop Hamilton Montessori School is a Christian Montessori school in Ottawa, Ontario, with classes from Infants to grade eight.
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Trillium School is a private school that offers programs from pre-school to grade twelve in Markham with Montessori-based kindergarten.
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Alternative schools depart from the mainstream. They offer a teaching approach, curriculum, or learning environment that differs from what you’ll find in most schools.
Some, but not all, alternative schools are part of the progressive movement in education. This movement involves different and sometimes conflicting ideas. Normally, though, it focuses on experiential learning, integrated curricula, personalized and collaborative learning, critical thinking, and problem solving, among other things.
Many private schools in Canada are alternative. These schools employ many, though normally not all, of the following practices:
Multi-age classes
Focus on the whole child
Integrated curriculum
Individualized curriculum
Advanced pace of study
Specialized curricular approach
Customized support programs
Focus on the arts and creativity
There are several different kinds of private alternative schools in Canada. These schools are especially popular at the preschool and elementary level. They’re also offered in middle and high school, though.
Montessori schools: This approach is especially popular in preschool and elementary school, though it’s offered at higher levels as well. Montessori schools have lots of self-directed learning. With guidance from the teachers, kids can often choose their own work and pursue their interests and passions.
Waldorf schools: Waldorf schools don’t have a standard curriculum, one for all students. Learning is customized to the special needs of each child. These schools also focus a great deal on art and creativity, and this is infused through the whole curriculum. The goal is to promote creativity, curiosity, and imaginative learning. Moreover, most Waldorf schools delay core academics until at least Grade 1, when students are developmentally ready.
International Baccalaureate (IB) schools: The IB is an advanced, university-level program offered at many schools in Canada. It’s assignments and tests are administered by an international committee. IB schools are a great option for motivated and high-achieving students. They’re offered at the primary, middle, and high school level.
Alternative schools in Canada, like other kinds of private schools, have plenty of perks. For many kids, they can be a better fit than a traditional school. Depending on your child and the type of school you choose, alternative schools can have a number of benefits.
Parents send children to alternative schools for numerous reasons. Classroom structure, educational outlook, and essentially alternative ideas about childhood development are among the most common motivators for sending a child to such a school. Some of these schools test innovative teaching strategies and programs to help them identify how children develop most effectively.
For example, Montessori schools, unlike most other types of private schools, believe that students learn best in large classes where they can educate themselves (i.e., self-exploration) and become mentors for each other. This principle has always distinguished Montessori education from the customary model of teaching.
Arrowsmith Schools focus on helping students with learning disabilities, through intensive and graduated cognitive exercises. The program presupposes the plasticity of the human brain, a concept that has gained much wider acceptance in the broader scientific community and in the public sphere.
Waldorf schools and preschools focus on hands-on activities and the stimulation provided by a more holistic approach that downplays seat work.
Arrowsmith and Montessori (as well as, to a lesser extent, Waldorf) are examples of alternative schools that have seen their curriculum influence public education and become more widely accepted. Both progenitors of these methods (Maria Montessori and Barbara Arrowsmith) used their personal observations to see flaws in and help mold a unique alternative to mainstream schooling. Alternative schools are an important breeding ground for new ideas and approaches, although not all alternatives are as successful as these two examples.
Parents who enroll their sons or daughters in alternative private schools also have more control than they would find elsewhere. Conventional schools have fairly standard curricula and teaching strategies. Being private, alternative schools offer more control.
If your son or daughter has a high aptitude or passion in a certain discipline, some alternative schools can recognize this and help him or her develop that aptitude. Plenty of alternative schools and preschools (and daycares) combine classroom education with a particular specialty. In countless cases, parents prefer alternative schools because they allow their children to unleash their creativity which may have been stifled in another environment.
Selecting a private school usually comes down to finding the right fit. As such, private schools with clear and identifiable educational visions can help you make a choice based on concrete reasons.
Prior to making this important decision, consider some, if not all, of these key questions:
For much more detailed information about some excellent alternative private schools, visit one of Our Kids’ annual expos, read our guide to private school questions, or click on any of the links below.
Montessori schools in Poland (szkoły Montessori)
Social schools in Poland (szkoły społeczne)
Schools in Warsaw include przedszkola i szkoły Montessori w Warszawie
The step to Grade 9 is widely seen as unique, and it is. That said, the move to middle school is important, too. Perhaps even more so. [Read more]
