On this page we cover boarding schools in the Montreal area. This includes boarding schools in downtown Montreal, Old Montreal, Mount Royal, Outremont, Westmount, Anjou, Rigaud, St. Laurent, Pointe-Claire, Hampstead, Lasalle, GriffinTown, Côte-Saint-Paul, Verdun, West Island, South Shore, Nuns Island, and Ville Marie. It also includes schools in Laval, Longueuil, Kirkland, Sherbrooke, and Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
For a complete guide to boarding in Canada, including information about admissions, please see our introductory guide.
Stanstead, Quebec Dufferin Street/Willow Lane "An English school in a French milieu, Stanstead College is located on the Quebec-Vermont border, offering rigorous university-prep, Grades 7 to 12 (including AP options), in a secure, family-focused learning environment." —From the school
|
Meet them at the Expo
Montreal, Quebec De Maisonneuve West/Park Row West "At Kells, flexibility is the key. We develop programs allowing students to work within their comfort zone, which may be above, below or at grade level. The result is students who outperform even their own expectations." —From the school
|
Meet them at the Expo
Laval, Quebec "NSAL is the only private English high school on Montreal's North Shore. We offer small classroom sizes and an enriched curriculum. We teach not only for school but for life! Certificate of eligibility not required." —From the school
|
Montreal, Quebec Atwater/Docteur-Penfield "Since 1861, The Sacred Heart School of Montreal, the city’s only all-girls English Catholic high school, has been preparing girls to change the world. We offer grades 7 to 12, day school and boarding." —From the school
|
Meet them at the Expo
Rigaud, Quebec Rue Saint-Pierre/Rue Bourget "Collège Bourget is a day & boarding school situated between Montreal & Ottawa. The school offers Quebec's french program from Grade 7 till Grade 11 and english program from Grade 10 till Grade 12." —From the school
|
Sherbrooke, Quebec "Bishop's College School is an English boarding and day school for students in grades 7 through 12. Small in size and culturally diverse, BCS is an IB World School offering the IB Diploma Programme and Canadian curricula." —From the school
|
Our boarding school guide has advice specific to finding boarding schools in Canada. For insights that are more general (on how to evaluate school options) we recommend you review our hub on choosing a school. You can also read our guides to questions to ask private schools and questions students get asked at school interviews.
The Montreal private school expo, held in the city each fall, is an opportunity to speak with administrators from leading Montreal boarding schools.
Word-of-mouth is another powerful tool in your school-finding arsenal. The Our Kids private school discussion forum allows you to discuss your options and debate topics around gifted education. You can use our community of parents, educational experts, alumni, and schools to help answer your questions and stimulate your thinking.
Attending open houses is obviously a great way to learn more about a school and get a feel for the environment. For some advice on open house visits, go here. For questions to ask that are specific to boarding programs, refer to our main boarding school hub.
School name | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | September 26, 2023 9:00 am | The Sacred Heart School of Montreal 3635 avenue Atwater Montreal Quebec H3H1Y4 |
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | September 26, 2023 5:00 pm | The Sacred Heart School of Montreal 3635 avenue Atwater Montreal Quebec H3H1Y4 |
Kells Academy | October 12, 2023 9:00 am | 6645 De Maisonneuve West Montreal Quebec H4B 2Y3 |
North Star Academy | October 12, 2023 6:00 pm | North Star Academy Laval 950 Elodie-Boucher Laval QC H7W 0C6 |
Kells Academy | October 12, 2023 7:00 pm | 6865 De Maisonneuve West Montreal Quebec H4B 1T1 |
North Star Academy | October 19, 2023 7:00 pm | 2234 Autoroute Chomedey Ouest Fl 20 Laval Quebec H7X 4G8 |
Broadly speaking, the cost of boarding reflects the cost private school tuition in general, though with premiums added to cover housing and meals.
Many schools offer financial aid, including scholarships and bursaries. Financial aid is needs-based, and financial aid programs are created as a means of broadening the student base and attracting students, independent of means, who will contribute most to the culture of the school. Generally speaking, the larger and more expensive schools provide the most aid.
You can read more about financial aid and scholarships in our dedicated guide.
Below you'll find the range of costs at Montreal boarding schools:
Tuition (boarding school) | Students receiving financial aid | Grade eligibility for financial aid | Avg. aid package size (annual) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stanstead College | $63,795 to $79,770 | 30% | 7 - 12 | $22,000 |
North Star Academy | $24,000 to $31,500 | 7 - 11 | $2,000 | |
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | $40,743 to $61,190 | 22% | 7 - 11 | $8,350 |
Bishop's College School | $63,750 to $75,710 | 40% | 7 - 12 | $23,800 |
Founding date | Endowment | Admissions rate | Enrollment | Enrollment per grade | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanstead College | 1872 | 72% | 260 | 43 | |
Kells Academy | 1978 | 95% | 370 | 28 | |
North Star Academy | 86% | 205 | 41 | ||
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | 1861 | 240 | 48 | ||
College Bourget | 1900 | ||||
Bishop's College School | 1836 | $25,000 | 270 |
Primary curriculum | Secondary curriculum | Curriculum pace | Academic culture | Average class size | Language immersion | Special needs support | Tech integration |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanstead College | Traditional | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 11 to 15 | No support | Medium integration | ||
Kells Academy | Traditional | Student-paced | Supportive | No support | Heavy integration | |||
North Star Academy | Traditional | Standard-enriched | Supportive | 13 to 19 | No support | Medium integration | ||
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | Traditional | Accelerated | Rigorous | 14 to 18 | No support | Medium integration | ||
College Bourget | Traditional | Standard-enriched | Supportive | Special needs school | ||||
Bishop's College School | Traditional | International Baccalaureate | Standard-enriched | Rigorous | 12 to 15 | No support | Heavy integration |
Legend:
Stanstead College | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kells Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
North Star Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | ||||||||||||||||||||
College Bourget | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bishop's College School |
Admission deadline | SSAT required | Interview required | Acceptance rate | Next open house | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanstead College | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 7 - 12 | 72% | ||
Kells Academy | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling Homestay: rolling | K - 11 | 95% | Oct 12, 2023 | |
North Star Academy | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 7 - 12 | 86% | Oct 12, 2023 | |
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 7 - 12 | Sep 26, 2023 | ||
College Bourget | Day: Sep 30, 2021 Boarding: rolling | ||||
Bishop's College School | Day: rolling Boarding: rolling | 7 - 12 |
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanstead College | |||||||||||||||||
Kells Academy | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 90% | 95% | 95% | 90% | 95% | 90% | 90% | ||||
North Star Academy | |||||||||||||||||
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | |||||||||||||||||
College Bourget | |||||||||||||||||
Bishop's College School |
Nursery/Toddler | Preschool | JK | SK | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanstead College | |||||||||||||||||
Kells Academy | 95% | 95% | 95% | 95% | 90% | 95% | 90% | 90% | |||||||||
North Star Academy | |||||||||||||||||
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | |||||||||||||||||
College Bourget | |||||||||||||||||
Bishop's College School |
Math | Science | Literature | Humanities Social Sciences | Foreign Languages | Fine Arts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanstead College | Traditional Math | Equal Balance | Traditional | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Creative |
Kells Academy | Equal Balance | Inquiry | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Creative |
North Star Academy | Traditional Math | Expository | Traditional | Equal Balance | We don't offer Foreign Languages | Equal Balance |
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | Traditional Math | Equal Balance | Traditional | Equal Balance | Communicative | Creative |
College Bourget | ||||||
Bishop's College School | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance | Equal Balance |
Student council | School newspaper | Yearbook | Radio club | Photograph club | Art club |
Choir | Band | Dance club | Yoga club | Drama club | Debate club |
Chess club | Math club | Science club | Robotics club | Computer club | Environmental club | Outdoor club | Community service |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanstead College | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kells Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
North Star Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | ||||||||||||||||||||
College Bourget | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bishop's College School |
Badminton | Baseball | Basketball | Cricket | Equestrian | Football | Golf | Gymnastics | Ice Hockey | Lacrosse | Rowing | Rugby | Soccer | Softball | Squash | Swimming | Tennis | Track and Field | Volleyball | Wrestling |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stanstead College | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kells Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
North Star Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Sacred Heart School of Montreal | ||||||||||||||||||||
College Bourget | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bishop's College School |
Because of its history, Montreal can often feel more European than North American. Home of some of the first settlements in North America, it’s both one of the oldest cities on the continent as well as one of its most progressive, vibrant, and diverse. Proximate to other US and Canadian cities of the eastern seaboard, Montreal is also a jumping off point for a range of exceptional outdoor recreation, including world class ski resorts.
The city is home to six universities and twelve colleges—all concentrated within an 8km radius—which host a population of 248 000 post-secondary students. It’s the highest density of students in North America, and it reflects the city’s values and its cultural tradition. With both Francophone and Anglophone schools, life in Montreal is heavily influenced by its educational institutions, creating a rich intellectual and cultural climate.
Excellence in education is valued, with incentives for both domestic and international students to attend secondary and post-secondary institutions. Because of the provincial CEGEP program, there is a greater integration of public and private institutions, as well as a greater integration between secondary and post-secondary institutions. The result is a unique educational climate that is unlike any other in Canada.
Quebec has the highest proportion of children attending private schools in North America. Seventeen percent of high school students attend private schools, a figure that is even higher in Montreal where 30% of high school students attend private school.
One reason is cultural, based in the traditions and the values of the population. Another is because the province provides subsidies to families who send their children to private school, reducing their tuition fees more than half. That kind of support is reflected in the quality of the schools found within the city. As well, it has encouraged the growth of a student population that is one of the most varied in North America, and indeed the world, drawing from a broad swath of the socio-economic, academic, and cultural spectra.
High school graduation requirements are set by the Quebec Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports, not the federal government. Secondary school in Quebec has five grades, called secondary I-V, corresponding to grades 7 through 11. Upon completion of grade 11, students receive the provincial Secondary School Diploma (SSD). While other provinces require students to complete a grade 12 year, in Quebec students who intend to enroll at university must attend a year of college, known as CEGEP, and earn a Diploma of College Studies (DEC, Diplome d'etudes collegiales). Students can a public college, where there is no tuition required, or choose to attend a private college for their CEGEP year.
Students need to complete both the SSD and the DEC in order to apply to universities or colleges within Quebec. For those intending to apply elsewhere, the CEGEP year is regarded as an equivalent of grade 12, though some courses may be considered Advanced Placement courses, applied toward the completion of a post-secondary degree.
Web-guides