Below, we offer some ways of ranking boarding schools based on specific criteria, as a helpful tool for parents as they research schools. Across our website, we caution strongly against any undue focus on school rankings. This draws attention away from what's really important: finding the school that is best for your child. However, parents perpetually request rankings from us. Thanks to our long history of working with boarding and private schools, OurKids.net can offer some curated information you will not easily find anywhere else.
Boarding school rankings like those provided below can be a helpful tool, if used properly:
Finding the best boarding school for your child(ren) should be a long process, where you confirm that boarding is indeed the best type of school for your child, meet schools face to face at one of our school expos, and do all the other legwork and homework necessary to make the best school selection for your family.
Bearing all those qualifications in mind, here is Our Kids' look at some boarding school rankings.
Schools that are "the most difficult to get into" because of low acceptance rates would seem to be the best, to some parents. However, there are other factors (schools' marketing budgets, location, etc.) that can increase demand for particular schools.
No matter what, parents owe it to their children and themselves to look closely at all aspects of a boarding school to find one that best matches their needs and values. There are many excellent boarding schools with very high acceptance rates.
| School | Location | Grades | Acceptance rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Branksome Hall | Toronto, ON | JK to 12 | 30% |
| 2 | Havergal College ✝ | Toronto, ON | JK to 12 | 30% |
| 3 | Appleby College | Oakville, ON | 7 to 12 | 32% |
| 4 | Bishop Strachan School ✝ | Toronto, ON | JK to 12 | 40% |
| 5 | Bodwell High School | North Vancouver, BC | 8 to 12 | 60% |
| 6 | Shawnigan Lake School | Shawnigan Lake, BC | 8 to 12 | 60% |
| 7 | Ridley College | St. Catharines, ON | JK to 12 | 61% |
Here are boarding schools in Canada, ranked by tuition costs. Some parents may view this as an indicator of the quality of education offered by the school. We urge you to avoid this oversimplification when you are deciding on what school is best for your child.
| School | Location | Grades | Tuition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ridley College | St. Catharines, ON | JK to 12 | $25,875 to $82,500 |
| 2 | Appleby College | Oakville, ON | 7 to 12 | $40,020 to $79,870 |
| 3 | Stanstead College | Stanstead, QC | 7 to 12 | $25,455 to $79,770 |
| 4 | Applewood Academy for Progressive Learning | Belleville, ON | 1 to 12 | $27,500 to $79,750 |
| 5 | Lakefield College School | Lakefield, ON | 9 to 12 | $38,600 to $79,200 |
| 6 | Bishop's College School | Sherbrooke, QC | 7 to 12 | $30,000 to $75,710 |
| 7 | Albert College | Belleville, ON | PS to 12 | $18,700 to $75,400 |
Find boarding schools ranked on the basis of foundation date below:
| School | Location | Grades | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King's-Edgehill School | Windsor, NS | 6 to 12 | 1788 |
| 2 | St. John's-Ravenscourt School | Winnipeg, MB | K to 12 | 1820 |
| 3 | Upper Canada College | Toronto, ON | SK to 12 | 1829 |
| 4 | Bishop's College School | Sherbrooke, QC | 7 to 12 | 1836 |
| 5 | Pickering College | Newmarket, ON | JK to 12 | 1842 |
| 6 | Albert College | Belleville, ON | PS to 12 | 1857 |
| 7 | Sacred Heart School of Montreal ✝ | Montreal, QC | 7 to 12 | 1861 |
| 8 | Trinity College School | Port Hope, ON | 5 to 12 | 1865 |
| 9 | Bishop Strachan School ✝ | Toronto, ON | JK to 12 | 1867 |
| 10 | Stanstead College | Stanstead, QC | 7 to 12 | 1872 |
The following list ranks boarding schools on the size of their financial endowment.
| School | Location | Grades | Endowment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodland Christian High School ✝ | Breslau, ON | 9 to 12 | $300,000 |
| 2 | St. Michaels University School | Victoria, BC | K to 12 | $17,000,000 |
Below, find a list of the top seven boarding schools ranked by the most notable alumni produced by the school. In our rankings of most notable alumni, we base this on graduates with a Wikipedia page. We view this as a credible contemporary indicator of influence or achievement. As with all ranking factors, we hope parents recognize that this has obvious limitations. For example, older schools have had more time to produce influential graduates. Larger schools also have an advantage. Regardless, your primary focus in choosing a school should be finding the best fit for your child(ren).
| School | Location | Grades | Notable alumni | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Canada College | Toronto, ON | SK to 12 | 99 |
| 2 | St. John's-Ravenscourt School | Winnipeg, MB | K to 12 | 20 |
| 3 | St. Andrew's College | Aurora, ON | 5 to 12 | 17 |
| 4 | Bishop Strachan School ✝ | Toronto, ON | JK to 12 | 15 |
| 5 | Shawnigan Lake School | Shawnigan Lake, BC | 8 to 12 | 14 |
| 6 | Trinity College School | Port Hope, ON | 5 to 12 | 13 |
| 7 | Appleby College | Oakville, ON | 7 to 12 | 13 |
Are private Boarding schools good?
We interviewed both parents and students. You can read reviews about private Boarding schools on this page.
What is the most expensive private Boarding school?
Ridley College has the highest tuition fees from $25,875 to $82,500 per year with an average tuition of $54,188 per year.
Which private Boarding school has the lowest acceptance rates?
The private Boarding school with the lowest acceptance rate is Branksome Hall. The school has an overall accepance rate of 30%.
What is the oldest private Boarding school?
King's-Edgehill School is the oldest private Boarding school. The school was founded in 1788.
Learn about your U.S. college and university choices [Read more]
Well-being and belonging at Trinity College School [Read more]
Trinity College School’s financial assistance program [Read more]
The progressive Kindergarten program at Hudson College [Read more]
