The oldest private schools in Canada

While it’s misleading to rank private schools overall, it can be helpful to rank them in terms of specific criteria. Here we rank them in terms of age: we provide a list of the top 20 oldest private schools in Canada.

A school’s age is important. If a school has been around a long time, it likely has something valuable to offer. It may also have established a strong reputation in Canada and worldwide.

Keep in mind, though, there’s far more to evaluating a school than its age or prestige. Just because a school is the oldest doesn’t mean it’s the best. Age is just one factor to consider when choosing a school. You’ll also want to look at a school’s cost, community, culture, programs, and academics, among other things. In the end, you should try to find a school that’s the right fit—for your child and family.

To help you out, we list schools by location and type. While combing through these lists, which can be filtered using our advanced search, make sure to check out our comprehensive school profiles. You can also compare schools in terms of a wide range of metrics, like academics, admissions, course pedagogies, special needs support, and more. Finally, we provide an invaluable advice guide, which contains detailed articles on different types of schools, choosing a school, applying to schools, and many other topics.

Schools ranked by date they were founded

	School	Location	Grades	Founded
1	Dewey Institute	Bracebridge, ON	7 to 12	2
2	King's-Edgehill School	Windsor, NS	6 to 12	1788
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	De La Salle College ✝	Toronto, ON	5 to 12	1851
7	St. Michael's College School ✝	Toronto, ON	7 to 12	1852
8	Sacred Heart School of Montreal ✝	Montreal, QC	7 to 12	1861
9	Trinity College School	Port Hope, ON	5 to 12	1865
10	Bishop Strachan School ✝	Toronto, ON	JK to 12	1867
11	Stanstead College	Stanstead, QC	7 to 12	1872
12	Trafalgar Castle School	Whitby, ON	4 to 12	1874
13	Rothesay Netherwood School	Rothesay, NB	6 to 12	1877
14	Lakefield College School	Lakefield, ON	9 to 12	1879
15	Ridley College	St. Catharines, ON	JK to 12	1889
16	St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School	Oakville, ON	PS to 12	1891
17	Ashbury College	Ottawa, ON	4 to 12	1891
18	Olivet School ✝	Etobicoke, ON	PS to 5	1893
19	Havergal College	Toronto, ON	JK to 12	1894
20	Crofton House School	Vancouver, BC	JK to 12	1898
21	St. Andrew's College	Aurora, ON	5 to 12	1899
22	Hillfield Strathallan College	Hamilton, ON	NS to 12	1901
23	Selwyn House School	Westmount, QC	K to 11	1901
24	St. Clement's School	Toronto, ON	1 to 12	1901
25	Branksome Hall	Toronto, ON	JK to 12	1903