Parents searching for the best private school naively consult school rankings such as those provided by the Fraser Institute and others. Even schools that are ranked well on such lists object to being ranked by external sources based on simplistic criteria. As one appalled school administrator has said, "[Families need to] go look at the school… look at behaviour during recess, look at how the kids respond to adults. For me, it's always about the child, the family and the fit." All school ranking lists are fundamentally shallow.
If used properly, school rankings can provide some helpful insight for parents as they search for the right school for their child(ren). Rankings on the basis of some factors, as provided below, can be useful for any of the following reasons:
Be skeptical about all school rankings (including those below). Consider their limitations. All rankings lists are superficial. They offer no hint whatsoever, of how well your child will like the school or how well he or she will thrive in a specific environment. Many kids fare very well in schools that do not perform well in rankings for university placement and other factors.
As a nominally useful tool, we look at some Quebec school rankings below. Use with caution. Our Kids offers much more helpful, worthwhile resources for parents including our detailed, richly researched advice guide, our singular Montreal private school expo, our in-depth school profiles, and much more. Any concern with rankings of "the best schools" should be tempered by a much greater focus on finding the right fit for your child(ren), and on diligently following through on a deeply considered school choice process.
Private schools with the lowest admission rates might seem to be the "best" to some parents because they are the hardest to get into. Acceptance rates are affected by a school's academic standards and the number of families who are applying, of course. However, there are other mitigating factors (such as schools' marketing budgets) that affect a school's popularity. And it's important to remember that many of the best private schools have high acceptance rates. In any case, parents should not place too much emphasis on this factor. It's more important to focus on how well their children will fit into a school and many other factors. Parents may find this list helpful to know if a school they have applied to is, in fact, more difficult to get into.
| School | Location | Grades | Acceptance rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miss Edgar's & Miss Cramp's School | Westmount, QC | K to 11 | 49% |
| 2 | Study | Westmount, QC | K to 11 | 50% |
| 3 | Priory School ✝ | Montreal, QC | K to 6 | 75% |
| 4 | Alexander von Humboldt German International School | Baie-D'Urfé, Montreal, QC | PS to 12 | 80% |
| 5 | North Star Academy | Laval, QC | 7 to 12 | 86% |
| 6 | Centennial Academy | Montreal, QC | 7 to 11 | 95% |
Parents seeking the most expensive private schools may naively feel that tuition cost is directly correlated to the quality of education offered. This is not necessarily true, in every case. Certainly, more expensive schools offer advantages such as some better facilities, some highly qualified instructors, a greater amount of extracurricular activities, etc. But there are many schools that charge very reasonable private school tuition rates, while producing some of the top graduates in Quebec. You need to focus your search on which school will be the best for your child(ren). Below we list Quebec private schools (restricted to those that list with ourkids.net) with the highest tuition rates.
| School | Location | Grades | Tuition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bishop's College School | Sherbrooke, QC | 7 to 12 | $30,000 to $75,710 |
| 2 | Sacred Heart School of Montreal ✝ | Montreal, QC | 7 to 12 | $17,875 to $61,190 |
| 3 | Kells Academy | Montreal, QC | K to 12 | $17,300 to $35,800 |
| 4 | North Star Academy | Laval, QC | 7 to 12 | $12,400 to $31,500 |
| 5 | Lower Canada College | Montreal, QC | K to 12 | $19,425 to $25,970 |
| 6 | Study | Westmount, QC | K to 11 | $22,860 to $25,810 |
| 7 | St. George's School of Montreal | Montreal, QC | K to 11 | $20,081 to $24,754 |
| 8 | Miss Edgar's & Miss Cramp's School | Westmount, QC | K to 11 | $19,050 to $22,160 |
| 9 | Centennial Academy | Montreal, QC | 7 to 11 | $21,270 |
| 10 | Priory School ✝ | Montreal, QC | K to 6 | $19,300 to $21,110 |
Find Quebec private schools ranked by founding date. There is some prestige to be found in older schools, certainly, but we urge you to judge schools on factors that are more pertinent to the overall wellbeing of your child(ren).
| School | Location | Grades | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bishop's College School | Sherbrooke, QC | 7 to 12 | 1836 |
| 2 | Sacred Heart School of Montreal ✝ | Montreal, QC | 7 to 12 | 1861 |
| 3 | Loyola High School ✝ | Montreal, QC | 7 to 11 | 1896 |
| 4 | Lower Canada College | Montreal, QC | K to 12 | 1909 |
| 5 | Miss Edgar's & Miss Cramp's School | Westmount, QC | K to 11 | 1909 |
| 6 | Study | Westmount, QC | K to 11 | 1915 |
| 7 | St. George's School of Montreal | Montreal, QC | K to 11 | 1930 |
| 8 | College Prep International | Montreal, QC | 5 to 12 | 1944 |
| 9 | Priory School ✝ | Montreal, QC | K to 6 | 1947 |
| 10 | Centennial Academy | Montreal, QC | 7 to 11 | 1969 |
It's reasonable to consider having an entry in Wikipedia as a credible mark of influence. Schools in Montreal are ranked below on the basis of how many of their graduates have Wikipedia entries. Granted that this is a simplistic measure of anyone's contribution to society, and any list that purports to rank schools' based on a factor like this has many limitations.
| School | Location | Grades | Notable alumni | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bishop's College School | Sherbrooke, QC | 7 to 12 | 12 |
| 2 | Study | Westmount, QC | K to 11 | 8 |
| 3 | Sacred Heart School of Montreal ✝ | Montreal, QC | 7 to 12 | 4 |
| 4 | West Island College (Montreal) | Montreal (DDO), QC | 7 to 11 | 4 |
| 5 | Kuper Academy | Kirkland, QC | PS to 11 | 2 |
| 6 | Lower Canada College | Montreal, QC | K to 12 | 2 |
Are Quebec private schools good?
We interviewed both parents and students. You can read reviews about Quebec private schools on this page.
What is the most expensive Quebec private school?
Bishop's College School has the highest tuition fees from $30,000 to $75,710 per year with an average tuition of $52,855 per year.
Which Quebec private school has the lowest acceptance rates?
The Quebec private school with the lowest acceptance rate is Miss Edgar's & Miss Cramp's School. The school has an overall accepance rate of 49%.
What is the oldest Quebec private school?
Bishop's College School is the oldest Quebec private school. The school was founded in 1836.
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]
