Schools ranked by university placement

Below, we cautiously present a list of school rankings based on graduates' placement in top universities in the last five years. We gather information from schools on our platform, asking them how many graduates have been accepted into one of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, University of Chicago, Oxford, or Cambridge (UK) in the last 5 years. University placement is seen by many as the most important measure of how good a high school is, and the easiest means of ranking schools. Many parents see a private high school as a stepping stone to university. 

Still, there are cautions you should bear in mind. Consider the following as you review these rankings:

• Not all schools are the same size. Some have more students graduating annually.
• University placement changes from one year to the next for every school.
• Narrowing this to 12 universities is a limited criterion. There are many other great universities.
• Your child may decide they want a career that doesn’t require university.

Sending children to a high school with a high university placement rate doesn't guarantee that that school will be the best environment for your child. For example, your child may thrive better academically in a school with smaller class sizes. In that setting their grades may improve, giving them a better chance of getting into the university of their choice. That's just one example of the importance of finding the right fit, instead of focusing on school ratings. All rankings lists are, by nature, limited.

Across our platform, we give you tools to fully investigate all aspects of private schools on your shortlist. Other factors that contribute to your child finding their fit are multifarious, including academics, course pedagogies, extracurriculars, class sizes, school facilities, the social environment, and much more. Our advice guide provides the ultimate in-depth guidance for parents. It contains articles on different types of schools, choosing a school, paying for school, and many other topics. Parents are also encouraged to meet with representatives of private schools at one of several annual school expos hosted by OUR KIDS.

Top schools for university placement

	School	Location	Grades	Grads in Top US/UK Schools (5 yrs)
1	Havergal College	Toronto, ON	JK to 12	100
2	University of Toronto Schools	Toronto, ON	7 to 12	60
3	Upper Canada College	Toronto, ON	JK to 12	45
4	Appleby College	Oakville, ON	7 to 12	30
5	Academy for Gifted Children - P.A.C.E.	Richmond Hill, ON	1 to 8	25
6	St. Clement's School	Toronto, ON	1 to 12	25
7	The Hill Academy	Caledon, ON	JK to 12	25
8	Ontario Virtual School	Toronto, ON	6 to 12	25
9	St. Andrew's College	Aurora, ON	5 to 12	24
10	St. Stephen's School, Rome	Rome, Italy	9 to 12	22
11	Bishop Strachan School ✝	Toronto, ON	JK to 12	20
12	Branksome Hall	Toronto, ON	JK to 12	16
13	Elmwood School	Ottawa, ON	PS to 12	16
14	Metropolitan Preparatory Academy	Toronto, ON	7 to 12	15
15	Abelard School	Toronto, ON	7 to 12	15
16	St. John's-Ravenscourt School	Winnipeg, MB	K to 12	15
17	J. Addison School	Markham, ON	K to 12	14
18	Holy Trinity School ✝	Richmond Hill, ON	JK to 12	12
19	Bodwell High School	North Vancouver, BC	8 to 12	10
20	Hillfield Strathallan College	Hamilton, ON	NS to 12	10
21	Lycée Claudel	Ottawa, ON	PS to 12	10
22	St Clare's, Oxford	Oxford, Oxfordshire	10 to 12	10
23	York School	Toronto, ON	JK to 12	9
24	St. Michael's College School ✝	Toronto, ON	7 to 12	8
25	Stanstead College	Stanstead, QC	7 to 12	8
26	Brentwood College School	Mill Bay, BC	8 to 12	7
27	Royal St. George's College	Toronto, ON	3 to 12	7
28	Crescent School	Toronto, ON	1 to 12	7
29	Ridley College	St. Catharines, ON	JK to 12	6
30	Country Day School	King, ON	JK to 12	6
31	Rothesay Netherwood School	Rothesay, NB	6 to 12	6
32	Brampton Christian School ✝	Caledon, ON	JK to 12	6
33	Mentor College	Mississauga, ON	JK to 12	5
34	Hamilton District Christian High ✝	Hamilton, ON	9 to 12	5
35	Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School	Foothills, AB	K to 12	5
36	Trinity College School	Port Hope, ON	5 to 12	5
37	Villanova College ✝	King City, ON	4 to 12	5
38	Crestwood Preparatory College	Toronto, ON	7 to 12	5
39	West Island College (Calgary)	Calgary, AB	7 to 12	5
40	St. Jude's Academy	Mississauga, ON	JK to 12	5
41	La Citadelle International Academy of Arts & Science	Toronto, ON	NS to 12	5
42	Athol Murray College of Notre Dame ✝	Wilcox, SK	9 to 12	5
43	Trafalgar Castle School	Whitby, ON	4 to 12	5
44	Bishop's College School	Sherbrooke, QC	7 to 12	5
45	Newton’s Grove School	Mississauga, ON	PS to 12	5
46	Luther College High School ✝	Regina, SK	9 to 12	5
47	Merit College	North York, ON	9 to 12	5
48	Lakefield College School	Lakefield, ON	9 to 12	4
49	Peoples Christian Academy (PCA) ✝	Markham, ON	PS to 12	4
50	Rockway Mennonite Collegiate ✝	Kitchener, ON	7 to 12	4