1767 Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4L 3Z2, Canada
3400 Richmond Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 4P5, Canada
1767 Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4L 3Z2, Canada
3400 Richmond Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 4P5, Canada
2022
1906
12
1003
7 to 9
JK to 12
Coed
Coed
Day
Day, Boarding
English
English
Academic
Academic
Montessori
Progressive
10 to 12
Varies
In-class adaptations
Dedicated class; in-class adaptations
$18,000
$21,095 to $43,995
$57,595 to $75,360
Yes
Yes
0%
20%
7 to 8
K to 12
$0
$11,685
4
67
0%
26%
0%
0%
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Rolling
Rolling
Not available
Rolling
Yes: grades 7 - 8
Yes: grades K - 12
No
No
information not available
information not available
Offering a highly individualized curriculum, Academy of Thought and Industry (ATI) Toronto students are supported in unique ways while still completing the rigorous, self-paced core academic curriculum they’ll need to thrive in higher education. With small class sizes and a tight-knit community, the school offers a hands-on learning style where students are supported in personal projects, custom internships, and electives suited to their interests. Every student is paired with a coach to support the process of social and emotional development so fundamental to adolescence. The school describes its curriculum as “designed for life,” offering a third choice beyond the rigours of more traditional private schools and some other less demanding schools. As part of a network of eight ATI schools across North America, students can access a wide range of extracurricular activities that run both locally and virtually. ATI strives to deeply understand each student, to help them thrive emotionally and socially, and to support their individual path to excellence.
View full reportThe academic atmosphere at St. Michaels is supportive and progressive, beginning with a Reggio Emilia program that sets a tone of curiosity and collaboration that is carried through the upper grades. The boarding program sets the foundation for the school, establishing a community of service, involvement, and excellence not only in students’ academic life, but in their social lives and physical health as well. The program of pastoral care is broad and robust, something that derives in part from the context that the boarding program provides. The motto of one of the two founding schools is retained today: “nothing is great unless it is good.” That’s telling. Care and support are considered to be as important as challenge and excellence, and students are encouraged to engage with the entire spectrum of curricular and extra-curricular programs. The ideal student is one able to thrive in a rich, challenging, diverse academic and social atmosphere.
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"The ATI Toronto leadership team is entrepreneurial, passionate, and highly engaged."
Jonathan McCarthy - Parent (Nov 29, 2022)
My son has thoroughly enjoyed his first year at ATI Toronto.
He would say that his favorite parts...
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"School leadership is exemplary"
Bronwyn Tulloch - Parent (Apr 06, 2018)
Our daughter started at SMUS as a boarder in Grade 11. She moved from a very large public day school...
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"Our son loves SMUS. There is no single thing that makes him love it, but rather the combination of..."
Jonathan Barry - Parent (May 14, 2018)
Our son likes the quality of the students, the teachers and the professionalism of the school best. ...
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"...they aim to have each student actualize their inner potential".
Enoch Wuraola - Parent (Jul 10, 2018)
Both of my children have attended St. Michaels University School as boarders: my daughter from gr. 1...
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"ATI's curriculum is rooted in thought & industry, in thinking and doing. In addition to our core academic curriculum, students take the driver's seat by tackling personal projects, entrepreneurial ventures and electives suited to their interests. Every student at ATI is paired with a coach, to support the process of self-creation that is so fundamental to adolescence. We strive to deeply know each student, to help them thrive emotionally and socially, and to support their individual path to excellence."
"Located in the city of Victoria, St. Michaels University School is a boarding and day school with a global reputation for academic excellence. Students from around the world are challenged by an extensive curriculum, including Canada’s most established Advanced Placement program with 25 courses and the AP Capstone Diploma. Intellectual stimulation combined with exceptional values-based athletics, arts and leadership programs make SMUS a school that inspires excellence in all students while preparing them for life."
"Too often, parents and students face a choice between traditional schools —lacking flexibility and individualization— or “progressive schools” that fall short in delivering deep knowledge and an intentional curriculum. At ATI, we combine deep study of core subjects with a focus on real-world exploration and application. This transforms the school experience from disengaged participation to thriving
and passionate learners who have an ever-increasing capacity for independent exploration."
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"Rather than an emphasis on memorization or standardized testing, all knowledge at ATI is deeply practical. Coursework is motivated by real-world problems and challenges—from Socratic discussions in literature courses, to field research in science, to entrepreneurship, internships, and more. It is this fusion of deep knowledge (thought) applied to real-world problems (industry) that captures our approach."
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"Every student at ATI is paired with a coach, a supportive guide who serves as thought partner and mentor. The coach’s role, over the course of the school years, is to make herself obsolete: as the student gains the social, emotional, and cognitive skills to enable her to serve as her own coach going forward. This is not a tutor or a guidance counselor; the coach is a powerful and unique partner to help each student unlock his or her full potential."
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"Every ATI school is a tight-knit community that is also connected to a network of other ATI locations. The network allows you to learn from industry experts, take part in unique electives, find mentors in your field and connect with peers across North America."
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Welcome to the Academy of Thought and Industry: we’re so glad you’re here! ATI is education not as it has been, but as it can be: something designed specifically for adolescents, something designed for life. Adolescence is a period of intense physical and emotional growth. You are transitioning from childhood to adulthood—from depending on your parents, family, and teachers to a space where you decide your own path. What an exciting journey, occasionally overwhelming, potentially fraught, inevitably profound. No matter where you spend these years, you emerge on the other side having changed dramatically. In many ways, traditional schools are at odds with the needs of this period of change: you’re forced to conform to a system that has at its core not your needs as a growing, changing, striving, individual— but the needs of the system itself. Progressive schools often allow you free rein to choose your own pursuits, skipping from project to project, but without that deep attention to knowledge that would fully unlock your mind’s potential. The alternatives are: rigid structure where knowledge is abstracted from application, or free structure where applications are abstracted from knowledge.
The Academy of Thought and Industry is the third option. Here, we pursue the union of thought and industry, of the mind and the hand. Our students don’t just memorize— they understand, by integrating and applying at every step.
At ATI, there is no conflict between the intellectual and the practical. Our students take film-making classes to actually make movies. They take economics courses because they are starting their own businesses—or more abstract economics because they want to understand the theories that make up the society in which they participate. One of our middle school classes in New York is running a thriving compost business; a high school student in Texas has a professional photography studio with international clients.
You might be asking: Who are these incredible teenagers?
In some ways, our students are extraordinary. In other ways, they are the most natural and healthy people of all: they are unusual only in that they are actualizing the potential that is perfectly, universally ordinary. At ATI, you get to explore this period of transition into adulthood with graduated agency: each step you take here will open up greater choices, greater possibilities, and greater independence. But you will always have behind you the support and care of your coach, your guides, and your ATI community. Here, you can fully explore your own rapidly expanding self.
We can’t wait to meet you.
From all my enquiries, anecdotal, empirical, and statistical, SMUS is a world-class school built on the solid foundations of its extended community. At the heart of that community are the students, some drawn into boarding from a diverse range of cultures and others who are deeply rooted in Victoria and its environs. The students are inspired by a large, dedicated and highly qualified faculty who over the years have established a reputation for going beyond the call of duty to nurture individual interests and enthusiasm.
The school mission is to aim for the “excellence in all of us.” As anyone who aspires for the highest standards will know, this is no easy task. A starting point is that “you have to be good to be great” but an outstanding education requires a holistic view that provides opportunities for the development of the mind, body, and the soul to enable young people to ask the big questions and really find out who they are.
We believe in both passion – come with a spark of enthusiasm and it will be fanned into a blaze – and compassion – education is a shared experience and we all journey together. Indeed, the school’s commitment to service and leadership has a reach far beyond BC; it is truly international.
Learning should be fun, but it should also be appropriately challenging. Rigor instills resilience, which we are told will be increasingly important as the world becomes more competitive. This should also be the time for reflection; the chance to pause and think and dream.
SMUS students have achieved remarkable success in a broad range of professions. Many report that this is down to quiet inner confidence, the ability to think independently, and a commitment to civilized values.
By providing a vast range of competitive sports, clubs, and activities, we hope to provide something for everyone to find their niche.
We invite you to come and meet us at our beautiful sites on Richmond Road and Victoria Avenue, and to find out first-hand the blend of people, place, tradition and innovation that makes St. Michaels University School such a special place.
Progressive
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Particularly popular in the younger grades (preschool to elementary), but sometimes available all the way up to high school, Montessori schools offer an alternative vision to the standard lesson format of most classrooms. Instead of listening to whole-class lessons, Montessori classrooms allow students to choose which "tasks" or activities interest them. These tasks centre around special Montessori puzzles - their essential feature being they contain a right answer and allow for selfcorrection. A strong emphasis is therefore placed on lessons being concrete and rooted in practical experience, along with students developing a sense of self-sufficiency, confidence and curiosity.
Progressive (sometimes called "in- quiry-based") curricula attempt to place children's interests and ideas at the heart of the learning experience. Instead of lessons being driven by predetermined pathways, progressive curricula are often "emergent", with learning activities shaped by students' questions about the world. Instead of starting with academic concepts and then tying it to everyday experience, progressive methods begin with everyday experience and work back to an academic lesson. Teachers provide materials, experiences, tools and resources to help students investigate a topic or issue. Students are encouraged to explore, reflect on their findings, and discuss answers or solutions.
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ATI's curriculum is a self-paced, mastery-based program that combines traditional academic rigour with student choice and agency. Courses are interdisciplinary and skills-based. They cover the core topics expected of middle and high school students, but in a way that is grounded in real-life questions and curiosity. Students are motivated to gain new skills in order to grapple with challenging real-world problems, and educational objectives are interwoven between core topics. As students advance, they have an ever-increasing set of optional courses to explore areas of personal interest: electives, entrepreneurship, internships and independent study.
SMUS's curricular approach is a blend of traditional, which ensures success in provincial and AP exams, and progressive enhancements that allow students to dive deeper into topics and find their passions. This is achieved through inquiry-based learning, which speaks to learners' natural curiosity, and project-based learning that gives opportunities for them to express creativity across subject areas. Additionally SMUS is an innovator in experiential programs - ensuring students of all grades gain hands-on experiences outside the traditional curriculum, including outdoor education, leadership and service. SMUS is also a committed champion of personalized learning, shaping education around the needs and interests of each student.
Equal Balance
These math programs feature an equal balance of “Traditional” and “Discovery” methods.
These math programs feature an equal balance of “Traditional” and “Discovery” methods.
The Mathematics program at ATI, as with the rest of its academic curriculum, uses a self-paced, mastery-based approach. Students are presented lessons in small groups, and complete their follow up work independently or with a group of peers. Concepts are often introduced as historical “mysteries” — showing the reasons why certain mathematical concepts arose, and how they solved a particular real-world problem. This emphasis on real-world applications keeps students motivated and engaged. For example, in the Grade 7 unit on Scale Drawings, students complete a summative project where they create their own scale drawing of their neighbourhood. Ratios are practiced via doubling or halving recipes in a cooking class. Unit rates and percentages are applied to concepts in personal finance to demonstrate their usefulness. When learned in this way, math becomes a useful tool, rather than a set of rules to be memorized and then forgotten.
At all levels, SMUS follows the provincial curriculum but adds enrichment using real world examples, problem solving and project work. Where possible, SMUS connects mathematics to other subject areas. At the Junior School, there is a strong focus on building foundation skills and math fluency through the exploration of number concepts, patterns and relations, spatial sense, and statistics and probability. By Middle School, students are continuing to develop concepts and skills, while emphasizing real world applications of mathematical ideas. At the Senior School, skills and concepts are developed in several different ways - numerically, graphically, algebraically, and written. After the Grade 10 level, students can choose which stream of mathematics best suits their post-secondary needs. As well, we have three levels of Calculus available to students. This includes two levels of AP Calculus to again offer the best possible preparation for university.
ATI uses its own proprietary curriculum, which meets or exceeds Ontario standards. Learning is tracked using our Altitude LMS, and is supplemented with IXL.
There are no set texts but teachers make use of Maths Makes Sense, Quest 2000, McGraw-Hill and calculus texts from Stewart and Prentice-Hall. This is supplemented by iPads, laptops and other technological resources. Students can also enter mathematics competitions.
At the Junior School, there are no calculators except where they are part of a personalized learning program. In the Middle School, calculators are introduced as a tool. By Senior School, authorized graphic calculators are a part of the curriculum but there are several chapters without calculators.
Balanced Literacy
Balanced reading programs are typically Whole Language programs with supplementary phonics training. This training might be incidental, or it might take the form of mini-lessons.
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Equal balance
Programs that balance systematic and process approaches equally likely have an emphasis on giving young students ample opportunities to write, while providing supplementary class-wide instruction in grammar, parts of sentences, and various writing strategies.
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Equal Balance
Inquiry-based science emphasizes teaching science as a way of thinking or practice, and therefore tries to get students “doing” science as much as possible -- and not just “learning” it. Students still learn foundational scientific ideas and content (and build on this knowledge progressively); however, relative to expository science instruction, inquiry-based programs have students spend more time developing and executing their own experiments (empirical and theoretical). Students are frequently challenged to develop critical and scientific-thinking skills by developing their own well-reasoned hypothesis and finding ways to test those hypotheses. Projects and experiments are emphasized over textbook learning. Skills are emphasized over breadth of knowledge.
Science programs that balance expository and inquiry learning equally will likely have an equal blend of tests and experiments; direct, textbook-based instruction and student-centred projects.
Scientific thinking and its organizational systems are the way we can begin to make sense of the world around us: to find a signal in all of the noise of information production. At ATI, you’ll start to build your mental scientific toolbox. Your reasoning mind will be given a set of tools and approaches that are applicable across the scientific disciplines and will help you understand a bit about how the universe works, how we as humans got here today, and how you can help make the world a little better during your life, no matter what you do for a living. Scientific concepts will be reviewed and applied via hands-on labs and projects that keep students engaged and spark their interest in further exploration.
At the primary level, integrated learning - connecting science with language and mathematics - strengthens understanding of different concepts. By Grades 3-5, students learn lab procedures and the scientific process through an inquiry-based approach. In Middle School, many of the concepts and skills students learn are gained through "hands-on and minds-on" experiments and inquiries. Accordingly, Middle School Science classes take a variety of forms including: experiments, guided inquiries, student-designed investigations, mystery guests, field trips and field work. At the Senior School, the required science courses are more expository. Students interested in marine science can take an elective course. At the Grade 11 and 12 levels, students choose from several options and motivated students are offered the opportunity to enroll in advanced courses which prepare them for the Grade 12 Advanced Placement program.
Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
Physiology
Equal Balance
In traditional literature programs students focus on decoding the mechanics of texts: plot, characterization, and themes. These texts tend to include a balance of contemporary and “classic” literature. When studying a past work, students investigate its historical context -- but only insofar as this adds understanding to the work itself. Past works are therefore studied “on their own terms”, and not merely as historical artifacts to be deconstructed: traditional literature programs are firmly rooted in the humanities, and carry the belief that great literature can reveal fundamental and universal truths about the human condition. These programs emphasize class discussions and critical essay writing, and aim to develop in students critical thinking, communication skills, and a cultivated taste and ethos.
These literature programs draw in equal measure from “Traditional” and “Social Justice” programs.
What does literature tell us about how to live? The English curriculum at ATI will explore the importance of literature in our lives. We’ll look to our own favourite texts to examine how literature can meaningfully guide the way we live ourselves. We’ll also use art, writing, and discussion to explore selected poetry and short stories as we unlock key skills we’ll develop all year: how to use evidence in your reasoning and writing, how to discover literary themes, and how to participate in a Socratic seminar.
The English department offers a variety of courses that address the interests and needs of the students. For capable students, we offer the chance to look at the traditional canon, where they study works ranging from the Anglo-Saxon Period to the 20th Century, which can lead to AP English Literature and Composition and AP English Language and Composition. These courses, particularly AP English Literature and Composition, are usually theme-based and seek to address a common question or subject, for example: literature of the road, literature of the absurd, indigenous literature and black humour. We also offer a course in creative writing, in which aspiring authors can receive guidance in writing their own poetry, short fiction and dramatic monologues, and meet visiting authors. In the years that this course has been running, SMUS students have won many provincial and national awards for their writing.
Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Ancient lit
English lit
World (non-Western) lit
European (continental) lit
American lit
Canadian lit
Expanding Communities
The Expanding Communities approach organizes the curriculum around students’ present, everyday experience. In the younger grades, students might learn about themselves, for example. As they move through the grades, the focus gradually broadens in scope: to the family, neighbourhood, city, province, country, and globe. The curriculum tends to have less focus on history than Core Knowledge programs.
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Equal Balance
Perennialism in the humanities and social sciences emphasizes the idea of education being a kind of “conversation” between generations, and so frequently turns to “Great Works” and “Big Ideas” for teaching-content. Perennialist programs approach past works on their own terms; as if they might actually help students understand “today” better. Past works are not viewed as mere historical artifacts, but as gateways to a deeper understanding of the human condition. History (and, by extension, the humanities in general) therefore plays a large role in perennialist curriculums, though social sciences like economics, psychology, and sociology can still be taught. There is a strong Liberal Arts bent to perennialist programs. The key goals are to develop critical thinking, a strong foundation of core knowledge (or “cultural literacy”), and persuasion skills through informed debate and extensive practice in essay writing.
These programs represent an equal balance between the perennialist and pragmatic approach to teaching the humanities and social sciences.
As children, we discover that we are born into the middle chapters of an enormous and complex story. Thousands of generations have come before us, and just like us, they have tried their hands at the challenges of life. Great lessons born from their defeats, triumphs, follies, and discoveries are yours for the taking…but first you must learn how to find them. At ATI, you will learn the ways that historians uncover and analyze how human societies came to be the way they are. During middle school, we first cover a survey of world history, and then do a deeper dive into North American history up to 1910, in preparation for the Ontario Grade 10 History course, which focuses on World War 1 to the present.
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Equal Balance
These programs feature an equal blend of the audio-lingual and communicative styles of language instruction.
These programs feature an equal blend of the audio-lingual and communicative styles of language instruction.
Our acquired language curriculum introduces language as a gateway to understanding the local and global world. Through language study at ATI, students develop a sense of curiosity and interest in other cultures, and learn to communicate and empathize with others. Our language courses are based on ACTFL and Ontario proficiency benchmarks and performance indicators. They capture performance in speaking, writing, listening, reading and cultural knowledge. Communication is viewed through three lenses: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. Instruction is provided network-wide via live, synchronous virtual courses, and supplemented with Rosetta Stone. Our middle school curriculum focuses on French, and students can opt to learn Spanish in high school as well.
SMUS offers a comprehensive language program. Beginning in Kindergarten, students learn French through story, theatre and music to put the language into context. In Middle School, students take French and Mandarin. In Senior School, students can continue their learning in French, Spanish and Mandarin. Languages help develop confidence, and students are often asked to put their skills into practice through public speaking.
Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
Hebrew
ESL
Spanish
Russian
Latin
Japanese
Italian
Greek
German
French
Chinese-Mandarin
Chinese-Cantonese
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Equal Balance
Creative arts programs are studio-driven. While historical works and movements may still be taught to add context to the program, students mainly engage in making art (visual, musical, theatrical, etc). The goal is use the actual practice of art to help educate students’ emotions, cognition, and ethos.
These programs have an equal emphasis on receptive and creative learning.
ATI's arts program is part of our elective offerings, which change each quarter. Drawing Levels 1 and 2 are our most popular electives, (see a video summary here -- https://tohigherground.wistia.com/medias/zz9sl1ycun) but we also have offered sculpting, acting, and web design in the past. Offerings change from year to year based on student interest. Courses are taught by experts in their respective fields, in a virtual synchronous format.
Starting in Kindergarten, SMUS students are introduced to a variety of fine arts, including music, choir, strings, drama and visual art. In Middle School, students delve deeper into pursuits in visual art, choir and either band or strings. In Senior School, students have addition opportunities to broaden their skills with courses in subjects such as creative writing, drama and Advanced Placement Studio Art. Beyond the classroom, students hone skills through performances at professional theatre venues. In Junior School, the Grade 5 classes have an annual large performance - either an opera or a musical. In Middle School, students participate in a biennial musical production. In Senior School, students can participate in the annual musical program. There are opportunities for strings, band and choral performances throughout the year. Students also have access to a range of extracurricular art opportunities, such as jazz band, choral ensembles and student Art Councils.
Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Medium integration
A major effort is made to integrate the development of digital literacy throughout the curriculum and in everything students do. Digital literacy is understood to be a fundamental skill in the 21st century: it therefore follows, the idea goes, that teachers should find ways to connect every lesson back to technology. Effort is made to ensure the use of technology is meaningful and advances students’ skills beyond what they would otherwise be from using computers outside the classroom.
Effort is made to integrate the development of digital literacy through the curriculum. However, this is not a dominant focus.
ATI students use their laptops to access Altitude, our proprietary learning management system. Altitude is used to assign, assess, and record student work in an individually customized way.
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Web design
Robotics
Computer science
Web design
Robotics
Computer science
Our physical education program is provided by a local organization, Bob Acton Sports. They provide instruction in a wide variety of sports that can be learned in our local parks, such as road hockey, soccer, and football. The program helps students build an interest in and commitment to life-long healthy and active living.
It is clear from the most cutting-edge brain research, that exercise during the school day is critically important to support optimum brain function in our students. At SMUS, our physical education program is focused on using exercise to help students learn. Our philosophy articulates it best: SMUS Physical Education Program aims to maximize students’ physical, emotional and academic well-being through exercise, while developing the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to support a healthy, active life. Our PE classes are high-energy, supportive environments inspired by a team approach and engaging modern workouts. Students learn how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, while cultivating character through a variety of team and individual experiences, as well as different skill acquisition activities.
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia programs aim to develop curiosity and problem-solving skills through the liberal use of “projects”, (as opposed to “activities” or “lessons”). Teachers design projects for children around their demonstrated interests. Projects can be geared to an individual student, a small group of students, or the class as a whole. Projects can last from a few days to the whole year. Art is strongly emphasized and is typically incorporated into every project. Teachers actively participate in projects alongside students, rather than sitting back and observing. A high degree of parent involvement is also encouraged, particularly when forming curriculums and project plans (which happens throughout the academic year).
If you want to learn more about Reggio Emilia education, check out our comprehensive guide.
The SMUS Kindergarten program is an inquiry and play-based progam inspired by the Reggio-Emilia philosophy. At SMUS, the child is a collaborator at the centre of their learning with teachers and parents acting as partners and guides. SMUS cultivates a joyful learning experience, fostering curiousity and a love of exploration, which includes the use of nature and the environment as a third teacher. Children benefit from small class sizes, two teachers to every classroom, and additional, specialist teachers in music, PE, library, French and art.
Standard-enriched
The main curriculum pace is non-standardized and is HIGHLY responsive to the pacing of individual students, (via differentiated instruction, differentiated assessment, etc). In theory, some students outpace the default/normalized curriculum, while others spend periods "behind schedule" if they need the extra time.
Broadly-speaking, the main curriculum -- like that of most schools -- paces the provincially-outlined one. This pace is steady and set by the teachers and school. The curriculum might still be enriched in various ways: covering topics more in-depth and with more vigor than the provincial one, or covering a broader selection of topics.
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Rigorous
A school with a “rigorous” academic culture places a high value on academic performance, and expects their students to do the same. This does not mean the school is uncaring, unsupportive, or non-responsive -- far from it. A school can have a rigorous academic culture and still provide excellent individual support. It does mean, however, the school places a particular emphasis on performance -- seeking the best students and challenging them to the fullest extent -- relative to a normal baseline. High expectations and standards – and a challenging yet rewarding curriculum – are the common themes here. Keep in mind this classification is more relevant for the older grades: few Kindergarten classrooms, for example, would be called “rigorous”.
A school with a “rigorous” academic culture places a high value on academic performance, and expects their students to do the same. This does not mean the school is uncaring, unsupportive, or non-responsive -- far from it. A school can have a rigorous academic culture and still provide excellent individual support. It does mean, however, the school places a particular emphasis on performance -- seeking the best students and challenging them to the fullest extent -- relative to a normal baseline. High expectations and standards – and a challenging yet rewarding curriculum – are the common themes here. Keep in mind this classification is more relevant for the older grades: few Kindergarten classrooms, for example, would be called “rigorous”.
SMUS's academic culture is more supportive until grade 10. After which, students prepare for exams and university entrance, and the culture naturally becomes more rigorous.
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Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
Intellectual
The goal is to cultivate "academically strong, creative and critical thinkers, capable of exercising rationality, apprehending truth, and making aesthetic distinctions."
Intellectual
The goal is to cultivate "academically strong, creative and critical thinkers, capable of exercising rationality, apprehending truth, and making aesthetic distinctions."
Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
SMUS provides opportunities and feedback that supports students in becoming self-aware, both in terms of what they value and the role they can play in the world. Equally, the program positions students to be curious about those different from themselves, so that they learn to openly listen in a way that builds understanding of other perspectives. Finally, SMUS offers the reflective and technical tools to help students navigate those differences in a way that enhances the lives of all involved.
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Badminton |
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Cycling |
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Downhill skiing |
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Equestrian |
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Fencing |
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Field Hockey |
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Figure Skating |
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Football |
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Golf |
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Gymnastics |
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Ice Hockey |
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Ice Skating |
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Lacrosse |
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Martial Arts |
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Mountain biking |
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Racquet Ball |
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Rowing |
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Rugby |
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Running |
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Sailing |
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Skateboarding |
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Snowboarding |
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Soccer |
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Softball |
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Squash |
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Swimming |
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Tennis |
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Track & Field |
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Volleyball |
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Weightlifting |
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Wrestling |
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Archery |
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Curling |
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Ultimate |
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Yoga
Yearbook
Student Council
Scouting
Science Club
School newspaper
Round Square
Robotics club
Radio club
Poetry/Literature club
Photography
Paintball
Outdoor Education
Outdoor Club
Online Magazine
Musical theatre/Opera
Math Club
Jazz Ensemble
Habitat for Humanity
Foreign Language Club
Environmental Club
Drama Club
Debate Club
Dance Club
Computer Club
Community Service
Choir
Chess Club
Band
Audiovisual Club
Astronomy Club
Art Club
Animation
7 - 8
K - 12
0%
20%
$0
$11,685
0%
0%
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Rolling
Rolling
Not available
Rolling
Yes: grades 7 - 8
Yes: grades K - 12
No
No
No
No
No
Yes: grades 1 - 12
No
Yes: grades 1 - 12
No
Yes
The ideal ATI student is both intellectually curious and driven to apply their learning in the real world.
The profile of a SMUS student is that they are curious, passionate and ambitious. This means more than just academic success - it means challenging yourself in all areas. As a student here, you will be expected to engage in arts, athletics, leadership and volunteering. You will need to be open to new experiences, to meeting people from different walks of life, and to taking on leadership responsibilities. Admissions staff are looking for students that fit this profile and who will bring their passion and energy to the benefit of all in the school community.
ATI utilizes an online application. We admit students on a rolling basis. A tour and shadow day are required before submitting an application.
Please visit the Admissions pages on the SMUS website for more information.
