Expert Advice on Choosing a School

On this page:

On what to look for
On learning about schools
On mistakes parents make
On school red flags
On how to know when a school isn’t working
Additional wisdom

On what to look for

“A school should be able to answer three key questions: Who are you? What do you do? What do you do well and differently? Vague, motherhood answers aren’t helpful here—‘we want to bring out the best in every child,’ ‘we’ll help your child reach her potential,’ and the like. A school should provide a clear and specific description of what they offer (and what they don’t). For example, ‘our school is geared to children with general but not specific learning disabilities.’
—Janyce Lastman, Education Consultant, The Tutor Group

“There’s evidence to support that teaching is a huge factor. So it’s important to look at the retention of staff in a particular school, and whether they hold on to their best teachers. Couple that with class size and that’s a winning combination. A varied curriculum that’s multi-disciplinary and able to meet the needs of different students is also critical. So if a child is very gifted in math, will the school be able to meet his needs? The best schools know their students and differentiate the curriculum accordingly.”
—Ann and Karen Wolff, Education Consultant, Wolff Educational Services

“It’s important to consider schools in terms of whether they’re a good fit for your child. First, what’s the right social and emotional fit? You might look at things like athletics, the arts, and what’s outside the classroom. Second, where is your child at academically? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What is their reading, writing, and math like? Then I would look at what makes sense in terms of the child’s growth? Is the child going to grow into the school and evolve with it or is this a school that may only work for a shorter period of time?”
—Elaine Danson, Education Consultant, Danson and Associates

“Knowing your child is priority number one. This doesn’t just refer to diagnosed needs: you’ll want to find out what makes your child happy, and what they need to be motivated and productive. Also, what interests your child? If you have a really sporty kid who needs to be active, an IB academic program may not be right for them. Are they really socially activist minded? If so, you’ll want to look for a school with a strong community or political aspect.”
—Ruth Rumack, Director, Ruth Rumack’s Learning Space

On learning about schools

“It’s important to visit schools before making the decision. And don’t just visit during open houses where everything is really canned and students are handpicked to give tours. Sit in the office, ask for a private tour, look in the classrooms. Peek in the window and see how many kids are engaged. See what’s happening in the actual environment.

While different learning environments suit different kids, there are certain universal markers for success, such as a vibrant and engaging classroom. Would you want to learn there? Are you inspired to learn there? Does it feel like a place you could come to every day and feel good about learning?”
—Ann and Karen Wolff, Education Consultant, Wolff Educational Services

“I recommend to families to go to a school several times for different reasons. First, you’ve got to go there once to check it out, either at an open house or on a private tour. Then, you should go back for one of their evenings. Say you’re interested in theatre and the school says ‘We’re putting on a play, why don’t you come back?’ Go.

Drop off your application materials on a regular school day. This will give you a sense of what’s around and what the school feels like. Try to have your child go with you. You’ll want to get her impressions of the school as well. While you won’t have the time to visit each school you’re interested in multiple times, ideally, you’ll do this with schools you’ve shortlisted.”
—Elaine Danson, Education Consultant, Danson and Associates

“I want kids doing the hustle and bustle when classes are changing, when announcements are on, and when students are going through the corridors. So I always encourage families to visit during the school year, so they get that visceral reaction when they walk in the front door. Does it feel like home to me or could I really belong here? Can I imagine myself here? Is it too uptight or stressful?”
—Jane Kristoffy, Education Consultant, Right Track Educational Services

“Sometimes parent-to-parent connections can be really helpful, because it gives you another place to bounce ideas and questions off of. It’s important to tap into your network, since parents often have plenty of information about different schools and educational environments. You can also go to school events, such as a holiday concert, to meet with parents who have kids at the school. This can give you special insights into the culture and feel of the school community.”
—Una Malcolm, Director, Bright Light Learners

On mistakes parents make

“Many parents have a long checklist and they expect to find a school that has everything on their list. I tell them that looking for a school is like looking for a spouse, job, or the perfect home—it’s a compromise or trade-off. No school will have everything that’s on your list. If you get 75% to 80% of what’s on your list, you’re doing great. What do you do about the other 20% or 25% that’s on your list? These things you can often find outside of school, through after-school programs, travel, volunteer opportunities, or elsewhere.”
—Janyce Lastman, Education Consultant, The Tutor Group

“Some parents don’t look at their children as learners and pick schools based on other priorities. They might look at the prestige, name, or reputation of the school, which are variables that don’t often contribute to success. Some parents also have preconceived ideas about what’s right for their child, which may or may not be correct. It’s important to go into the process with an open mind, and think carefully about what type of educational environment will work for your child.”
—Ann and Karen Wolff, Education Consultant, Wolff Educational Services

“It’s a mistake not to give schools an honest and complete picture of who your child is. This will interfere with their ability to determine whether they’re the right fit. Other mistakes include not visiting schools in person, going strictly by a school’s reputation or others’ opinions, relying on outdated stories of schools, and not having ‘back-up’ schools.”
—Jane Kristoffy, Education Consultant, Right Track Educational Services

On school red flags

“High staff turnover is a bad sign. You want strong leadership too, so if the principal, headmaster, or board of directors is changing every couple of years, this points to a lack of stability. If my child is in Grade 2, I’d like to know there’s continuity from Grade 2 to 3.

What are the goals of the school? What are their priorities? How do they approach the curriculum? If a school can’t answer those questions, this is not a good sign.”
—Ann and Karen Wolff, Education Consultant, Wolff Educational Services

“Bad schools aren’t transparent: they don’t communicate clearly or they do so with a spin. You should also avoid schools that give you a high-pressure sales pitch: schools that accept your child and try to get you to sign on the dotted line right away, and that want all the money up front. Of course, this is different than a school that sends out a letter that says ‘We need to know in 10 days, because we have a waiting list.’”
—Janyce Lastman, Education Consultant, The Tutor Group

“The biggest red flag is a lack of commitment to understanding your child. And that might mean not doing initial testing, not looking at a child’s assessment, or not meeting for an in-person interview. And you want to make sure that communication goes both ways. It’s almost like a dating service: you need to vet the school out, and decide if it’s the right fit for your child.”
—Una Malcolm, Director, Bright Light Learners

On how to know when a school isn’t working

“The number one sign is if your child refuses to go to school. Kids typically love to be with their peers, so if you can’t get them to go to school, this should set off alarm bells. Another one is complaining of physical symptoms, such as stomach aches. All kids complain about these things from time-to-time, but if this leads to continual school avoidance, something is wrong. Similarly, a child hating school because it’s ‘boring’ can be another red flag. ‘Boring’ can be a misnomer for a whole laundry list of things that may be going wrong.”
—Ann and Karen Wolff, Education Consultant, Wolff Educational Services

“You have kids who are unhappy. For younger students, it can be psychosomatic things, like ‘I have a tummy ache,’ ‘I have a headache,’ or ‘I don’t feel well today.’ Getting a lot of calls from the school because your child wants to go home. It can also be subtler things like just not participating as much anymore, or withdrawing from the social scene. Also, academic struggles can be a sign of unhappiness or depression. When these kinds of problems persist over a long period of time, this can be a sign that something’s wrong.”
—Ruth Rumack, Director, Ruth Rumack’s Learning Space

“I think the biggest indicator is the child themselves. Whether that’s stress, anxiety, feeling unhappy, them not wanting to go to school. There can be externalizing factors as well that translate into behaviour, so that you visibly notice there’s something they’re frustrated with. Keep in mind, though, if your child is just starting at a new school, there is an adjustment period. But if this drags on for several months, you should start to look into it more seriously.”
—Una Malcolm, Director, Bright Light Learners

Additional wisdom

“It’s important to look at the social makeup of the school. Is there enough variety that your child will have a group that they feel connected with? Because you want to have friends that are like-minded, and you want to be in a social situation where you feel honoured and respected. Variety can also be found in extracurricular activities, leadership programs, and sports activities, which tend to have kids with a wide range of personalities.”
—Ruth Rumack, Director, Ruth Rumack’s Learning Space

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