201- 1085 Homer Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 1J4, Canada
20490 Porterfield Road, Caledon, Ontario, L7K1T2, Canada
2017
2006
80
235
K to 7
JK to 12
Coed
Coed
Day
Day, Homestay, Boarding
English
English
Academic
Sports
Progressive
Traditional
9 to 11
6 to 18
$19,855
$13,500 to $22,100
$44,600 to $49,600
Yes
Yes
0%
40%
K to 8
7 to 12
$9,000
$2,500
10
16
0%
32%
75%
100%
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Rolling
Rolling
Not available
Rolling
Yes: grades K - 6
No
No
No
information not available
information not available
Claren Academy is one of those places that, in every way, was clearly created with the the learner foremost in mind. The teaching environment is bright, clean, and inviting, with lots of colour and natural light. It’s just a very comfortable place for young people to spend their days. Instruction is student-centred, building on the skills, interests, and needs that the students bring with them into the room. The intention is to deliver the attributes and knowledge they will need in the future as they move on to secondary and post-secondary education, and life. Administration references future-focused skills, though it says something about the school that creativity, empathy and kindness make that list. The school leadership is accessible, and assessment and progress reporting is consistent and detailed. So, yes, the school looks charming, and indeed it is, in all kinds of ways. Founded in 2017, Claren Academy has quickly become an important and valued educational offering within the city.
View full reportIt’s perhaps easy to wonder why Hill Academy isn’t more widely known, though perhaps for those involved in high school sports in Canada and the US, it is. Which, frankly, is appropriate. It’s a high school program based in the values, dedication, and energy associated with sport, with the daily schedule organized in order to allow students to excel in both academics and athletics. The lessons overlap, and students compete in math contests as successfully as they do sporting events. The ideal student is one looking to grow in both areas, and to do it alongside peers of a like mind, approach, and ability. The school’s success is evident in the careers—again, both academic and athletic—of its alumni, who operate at the top of their fields not only on Ontario, but throughout North America.
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"My daughter just completed grade 8 and said it was the best year of her life.
Caren Morrison (Elson) - Parent (Jun 22, 2023)
My daughter just completed grade 8 and said it was "The best year of her life". Being part of a scho...
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"For any young person who is willing to put in the hard work and take full advantage of the opportunities by attending The Hill Academy, it is the perfect fit."
Brenda Burman - Parent (Aug 28, 2023)
Both our sons have had a terrific experience since starting at The Hill Academy. The opportunity for...
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"The quality of instruction at The Hill Academy is very high."
Sam Kane - Parent (Feb 29, 2024)
Our Son Matt, recalls his experience at The Hill Academy as a moulding experience but in a spectacul...
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"Claren Academy is a future-focused independent school located in downtown Vancouver. Claren Academy has a brand new campus and a vibrant middle years program for students in grades 7, 8, and 9. With individualized learning plans, dedicated educators, strong fundamentals, and real, hands-on learning, Claren Academy gives students the tools to be creative, competent, and happy in their changing world."
"The Hill Academy is Canada's premier independent school for students in JK- Grade 12/Post Graduate. The 134-acre Caledon campus offers outdoor education, bright classrooms & elite training facilities. The Hill provides a transformational experience and exceptional academic/athletic programs that focus on individual attention, character growth, leadership development & physical literacy. With small class sizes & dedicated staff, our Graduates are prepared for the demands & rigor of post secondary education."
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"Our forest campus, offers day/boarding/homestay students a serene environment to excel academically with our small class sizes, dedicated, caring staff & bright classrooms. Daily character development & outdoor education benefits students physically, emotionally, and socially as they set the foundation for lifelong wellness & good health. Access to physical education backed by Sports Science, ensures athletes can reach their post secondary aspirations of playing a sport at the next level."
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"While students are engaged in an outstanding academic program, they are working at a level of athletic training normally available only at the College/University level. The Hill provides the foundation for academic, athletic, & personal development enabling each individual to maximize their full potential to succeed at the next level. Athletic & academic scheduling is completely integrated to ensure that each student-athlete is achieving excellence academically & athletically all under one roof"
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"The relationships formed between our teachers/coaches & students is something we pride our school on. It is these bonds and family connections truly make The Hill Academy a FAMILY and make a difference in the lives, and experience that our students have during their time at The Hill."
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"Teachers, Coaches & Staff at The Hill truly care about every Hill student & family. With intimate class sizes & direct one-on-one communication, meaningful relationships are formed that last a lifetime. It is these relationships that help students excel academically & athletically through daily accountability, social-emotional development, leadership opportunities, and high expectations for every member of The Hill Community."
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The Hill Academy is a unique academic and athletic platform to enable dedicated student athletes to get to the next level. Respect and Prepare are the core values of this platform, and are enforced on a daily basis in order to achieve academic excellence, athletic excellence and personal growth. In an athlete-centered approach, every phase of the student-athlete’s experience at the school is designed to fully prepare them to succeed at the next level.
The Hill Academy student-athletes pursue their dreams and goals with the full support of classmates, teachers, coaches and administrative staff. Our goal is to help student-athletes reach their academic and athletic goals as well as experience personal growth. The Hill Academy dedicates all of its resources to ensuring the success of its student-athletes, in a positive and energizing environment.
Traditional
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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.
Traditional curricula tend to be very content-based and rooted in the core disciplines. It is a structured approach that involves the teacher delivering a unified curriculum through direct instruction. Students usually learn by observing and listening to their teacher, studying facts and concepts in textbooks, and completing both tests and written assignments - which challenge students to not only demonstrate their mastery of content but their ability to analyze and deconstruct it critically. Class discussions are also used to create critical dialogue around the content of the curriculum.
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Claren Academy prepares students for the world of the future, with strong academic foundations and creative use of technology. We strive to develop critical thinkers who are caring, confident, lifelong learners in a diverse community. We foster creativity, joy, and passion for learning through our personal connections with each student and their family. We provide opportunities, encouragement, inspiration, and mentoring for each child. We use the B.C. curriculum to provide strong fundamentals using developmentally appropriate practices and materials, while also exposing students to forward-looking areas of study such as programming, virtual reality, robotics, and much more. Our technology-enhanced personalized learning takes place in a school environment that emphasizes creativity, independence, entrepreneurial skills, and academics. There is an equal emphasis on acceleration and enrichment. All students are immersed in a creative learning process through exploration, critical thinking, and reflection. Together the students think, work, and create in a way that demonstrates their new understanding.
The Hill Academy is in accordance with the Ontario Ministry of Education and as such follows the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum. The Hill Academy is a unique independent school that offers a program specifically designed for dedicated student-athletes. While students are engaged in an outstanding academic program, they are working at a level of athletic training normally available only at the College/University level. The Hill provides the foundation for academic, athletic, and personal development enabling each individual to maximize his or her full potential and ultimately reach and succeed at the next level. The athletic and academic scheduling is completely integrated and complementary to ensure that each student-athlete is achieving excellence both academically and athletically. Students at The Hill Academy can earn their Ontario Secondary School Diploma and will be supported by a broad range of courses, post-secondary counselling, SAT/ACT preparation and college scholarship services, ensuring the student has access to the best post secondary opportunity.
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These math programs feature an equal balance of “Traditional” and “Discovery” methods.
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For the core foundational subjects of literacy and math we used a levelled program that fits students into their just-right group, regardless of grade. That allows students to have more support as needed, and to advance with mastery.
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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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For the core foundational subjects of literacy and math we used a levelled program that fits students into their just-right group, regardless of grade. That allows students to have more support as needed, and to advance with mastery.
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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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For the core foundational subjects of literacy and math we used a levelled program that fits students into their just-right group, regardless of grade. That allows students to have more support as needed, and to advance with mastery.
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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.
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No matter how much the world changes, creativity and inventiveness are skills that will always be in demand. The Oxford study The Future of Employment states, “Specialist occupations involving the development of novel ideas and artifacts, are the least susceptible to computerisation.” This includes occupations in the fields of science and engineering, but it also includes work in the fields of entertainment, helping, and the arts. We foster creativity in our students by reducing emphasis on rote memorization, and by teaching them to find answers for themselves, critically assessing the information available.
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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
Physics
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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
Not applicable
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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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Not applicable
Not applicable
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Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Acting
Dance
Drama/Theatre
Graphic Design
Music
Visual Arts
Not applicable
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.
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Humans evolved to enjoy play because play helps us to learn about our environment and prepare for our adult lives. However, learning only feels like play when it is hands-on, self-directed, and self-motivated. Students are excited about learning when they can see how the subject at hand will be relevant to their lives. Most high school students are not excited about learning the quadratic formula because they don't see how it will ever be useful to them outside of school. At Claren Academy, we expose students to aspirational fields in a hands-on way to show that their studies will indeed help them to excel in the areas they most enjoy. Our students are introduced to: Computer programming Digital art & music Robotics & electronics Entrepreneurship Science experiments 3D printing Broadcasting & streaming Digital film making & animation Virtual reality Molecular gastronomy (cooking!) Game design and much more!
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Web design
Robotics
Computer science
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Academic
Play-based programs are the most common type of preschool and Kindergarten, and are founded on the belief young children learn best through play. Largely open-ended and minimally structured, play-based programs aim to develop social skills and a love of attending school. “Pre-academic” skills are taught, but in a more indirect way than at, say, an Academic program: through children playing in different “stations” set up around the classroom, which children choose on their own volition. Stations often contain an indirect lesson or developmental goal. Play-based classrooms are highly social and active.
Academic-based preschools and Kindergartens are the most structured of the different types, and have a strong emphasis on math and reading readiness skills. These programs aim to expose children to what early-elementary school is like. While time is still allotted to free play, much of the day is built around explicit lessons guided by the teacher. Classrooms often resemble play-based ones (with different stations set up around the room), but at an Academic program the teacher leads students through the stations directly, and ties these activities to a whole-class lesson or theme.
We have developed a method of teaching to personalize learning for each child. Teachers prepare materials, centre play activities and projects with our students' interests and needs in mind. Our programs are inspired by the approaches used in Reggio Emilia, Montessori and Play-based programs. Humans evolved to enjoy play because play helps us to learn about our environment and prepare for our adult lives. However, learning feels like play most often when it is hands-on, self-directed, and self-motivated. Students are excited about learning when they can see how the subject at hand will be relevant to their lives.
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Standard-enriched
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.
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.
Our students have opportunities each day to learn across grades in a large group setting as well as smaller groups based on ability and/or on curriculum.
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Rigorous
A school with a “supportive” academic culture focuses more on process than short-term outcomes: academic performance is a welcomed side-benefit, but not the driving focus. This does not mean the school lacks standards, or has low expectations for its students: a school can have a supportive academic culture and still light the fire of ambition in its students. It does mean, however, the school provides a less intensive culture than schools with a “rigorous” academic classification, and is focused more simply on instilling a love of learning and life-long curiosity.
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”.
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"We intentionally avoid all forms of public distinction between students in terms of academic performance."
"We honour and distinguish our brightest students, using them as examples for other students to follow."
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.
Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
Physical
The goal is to cultivate "strong, ?exible - bodied and active individuals, in tune with the joys of movement, sport and wellness."
We foster creativity in our students by reducing emphasis on rote memorization, and by teaching them to find answers for themselves. Similarly, we encourage diversity over conformity, and instead of a "one size fits all" program, our students are at liberty to explore their own areas of interest, permitted that a strong grasp of core subjects has been demonstrated.
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CompetitiveComp. |
RecreationalRec. |
CompetitiveComp. |
RecreationalRec. |
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Badminton |
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Baseball |
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Basketball |
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Canoeing/Kayaking |
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Cricket |
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Cross-country skiing |
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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
K - 8
7 - 12
0%
40%
$9,000
$2,500
75%
100%
K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Rolling
Rolling
Not available
Rolling
Yes: grades K - 6
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Admission to grades K-8 at Claren Academy is based on: - The candidate's social, emotional, and developmental readiness - The family's interview - The candidate's actions during the play-based observation - The school's assessment of references and past academic records The following may also be considered: - Availability of space in the year to which the candidate is applying - Diversity and gender balance - Siblings of students already enrolled
Hill students are curious, driven, passionate and want to be at The Hill. They want to be surrounded by likeminded peers and want to succeed at every level in anything they do. They understand that they must put in hard work in order to see results both in the classroom and in sport/physical fitness. Hill students are kind, thoughtful, and want to leave a positive legacy in their school, the community and the world. They are challenged to be accountable and hold high expectations for themselves. Hill students want to be active for life through physical fitness and mental wellbeing.
Please visit our admissions page to learn about our requirements and process.
Claren Academy is accepting applications for kindergarten to grade 8, adding a grade each year up to grade 12. Children born from 2010 to 2018 are eligible to apply for 2023.
Application steps:
Interviews and play evaluations take place on a rolling basis. Placement decisions will be announced within two weeks of your interview and observation. Successful applicants will then be asked for a deposit to secure enrolment.
Please visit our admissions page to learn about our requirements and process.
The Hill Academy offers admission on a rolling basis however with limited positions available and small class sizes, enrollment can close at any time. It is recommended that you apply early. The application is completed and submitted online.
Before you begin please have the following items ready to upload:
http://www.thehillacademy.com/admissions/application-process/