Any attention families give to school ranking lists should be tempered with consideration of much more important factors. The British Columbia school rankings below are provided reluctantly. Parents should not over-determine the value of these lists.
Families should instead focus on engaging in a deeply thought-out process, guided by the best advice, fully informed of all their options, with the goal of finding the school that is the best fit for children. Focusing on a school other people call the best (for any reason) could lead you to make a regretably poor decision. Along with schools themselves, Our Kids encourages families to take into account all aspects of schools, including admissions, academics, pedagogy, extracurriculars, special needs support (if needed), gifted programming, and other factors crucial to the long term success of your child(ren).
Used properly, rankings can be some help to families at key points in their research. We hope you use the lists below as tools of discovery, to find schools that may not have been on your radar before, for example. Lists can also help you survey the landscape, to understand how schools in which you are most interested fit into a bigger picture.
Our Kids is able to offer these ranking lists thanks to our long relationship with private schools in British Columbia. We have worked closely with many schools to help them elaborate what makes them distinct, so that parents can discover the private school that most closely matches their needs and those of their child(ren). We hope you use these list in that spirit.
It would seem that competition to get into a school indicates that it has high academic standards, is sought out by top students, and turns away applicants who don't meet its high standards. It's important to remember that some mitigating factors affect schools' acceptance rates. These include its marketing efforts, its location, its perceived prestige and other factors. Many excellent private schools with a 100% acceptance rate turn out exceptional graduates. It's far more important for families to find the school that best fits the most pressing needs of child(ren).
| School | Location | Grades | Acceptance rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mulgrave School | West Vancouver, BC | PS to 12 | 18% |
| 2 | Collingwood School | West Vancouver, BC | JK to 12 | 22% |
| 3 | Southpointe Academy | Delta, BC | K to 12 | 30% |
| 4 | Pear Tree School | Vancouver, BC | K to 8 | 50% |
| 5 | Bodwell High School | North Vancouver, BC | 8 to 12 | 60% |
| 6 | Shawnigan Lake School | Shawnigan Lake, BC | 8 to 12 | 60% |
| 7 | Unisus School | Summerland, BC | JK to 12 | 70% |
| 8 | Glenlyon Norfolk School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | 72% |
Private schools with the highest tuition rates do not necessarily offer the best education environment for your child(ren). Of course, parents paying the highest tuition should expect value for their cost. Many schools below offer exceptional facilities, hire some of the most highly qualified and influential instructors, and provide superior extracurricular programs and student support. All of that said, excellence can be found in many very reasonably priced private schools. It's wisest to focus on finding the school that best fits the needs of your child(ren). Review the list below with caution. In your school search process, suspend impertinent prejudices that cloud your judgement.
| School | Location | Grades | Tuition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brentwood College School | Mill Bay, BC | 8 to 12 | $32,000 to $96,300 |
| 2 | Shawnigan Lake School | Shawnigan Lake, BC | 8 to 12 | $35,500 to $90,000 |
| 3 | Queen Margaret's School | Duncan, BC | PS to 12 | $17,500 to $79,230 |
| 4 | St. Michaels University School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | $21,095 to $75,360 |
| 5 | Glenlyon Norfolk School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | $20,840 to $73,145 |
| 6 | St. Margaret's School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | $17,200 to $69,100 |
| 7 | Brookes Westshore | Victoria, BC | 4 to 12 | $10,290 to $62,000 |
| 8 | Unisus School | Summerland, BC | JK to 12 | $14,800 to $59,480 |
| 9 | Southpointe Academy | Delta, BC | K to 12 | $21,600 to $42,825 |
| 10 | Meadowridge School | Maple Ridge, BC | JK to 12 | $28,400 to $38,400 |
The age of a school lends it some prestige, especially in the world of private education. However, we urge parents to question such assumptions. Many newer private schools may take a more progressive approach to education, for example. In any case, we urge families to avoid emphasis on any kind of rankings in favor of a more holistic-minded approach when deciding which school is best for your kids.
| School | Location | Grades | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Michaels University School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | 1906 |
| 2 | St. Margaret's School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | 1908 |
| 3 | Glenlyon Norfolk School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | 1913 |
| 4 | Shawnigan Lake School | Shawnigan Lake, BC | 8 to 12 | 1916 |
| 5 | Queen Margaret's School | Duncan, BC | PS to 12 | 1921 |
| 6 | Brentwood College School | Mill Bay, BC | 8 to 12 | 1923 |
| 7 | Westmont Montessori School | Victoria, BC | PS to 12 | 1954 |
Find private schools in BC ranked by which have produced the most alumni with entries on Wikipedia. This is a reasonable indicator of influence in today's world, although it's also simplistic. Similiarly, it's simplistic for parents in the school search process to favour one school over another because it has more notable alumni. Please review our many other research tools linked to, above.
| School | Location | Grades | Notable alumni | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shawnigan Lake School | Shawnigan Lake, BC | 8 to 12 | 14 |
| 2 | Glenlyon Norfolk School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | 10 |
| 3 | St. Michaels University School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | 7 |
| 4 | Queen Margaret's School | Duncan, BC | PS to 12 | 4 |
| 5 | Brentwood College School | Mill Bay, BC | 8 to 12 | 4 |
| 6 | Island Pacific School | West Vancouver- Bowen Island, BC | 6 to 9 | 3 |
| 7 | St. Margaret's School | Victoria, BC | JK to 12 | 2 |
| 8 | Pythagoras Academy | Richmond, BC | JK to 8 | 1 |
Are British Columbia private schools good?
We interviewed both parents and students. You can read reviews about British Columbia private schools on this page.
What is the most expensive British Columbia private school?
Brentwood College School has the highest tuition fees from $32,000 to $96,300 per year with an average tuition of $64,150 per year.
Which British Columbia private school has the lowest acceptance rates?
The British Columbia private school with the lowest acceptance rate is Mulgrave School. The school has an overall accepance rate of 18%.
What is the oldest British Columbia private school?
St. Michaels University School is the oldest British Columbia private school. The school was founded in 1906.
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