Kingsway College School THE OUR KIDS REVIEW

Kingsway College School manages to balance the warmth and close-knit community feeling of a small school with a forward-looking educational vision. This balance extends to everything KCS does, with challenging academic programs and extensive enrichment opportunities equally prioritized alongside students’ holistic development and well-being. The academic expectations are high, and students meet and exceed them. But the school promotes more than just scholarly achievement.

To capture its whole-child approach to education, KCS created the “Four Doors to Learning” framework, which encompasses academics, arts, athletics, and citizenship. From Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, curricular and co-curricular activities take students through each of these entryways to growth. The overarching aim is to create well-rounded, lifelong learners who are prepared to thrive in an ever-changing environment. “The school is always thinking about what skills future-ready students will need to be contributing members of society,” says a KCS parent.

The learning environment is firmly grounded in the realities of local and global communities. Students encounter experiential and problem-based learning from the earliest years in the Junior School, culminating in the strikingly innovative real-world immersion in the Senior School curriculum.

“Expand possible” is KCS’s motto, capturing its commitment to nurturing a growth mindset in students. “My kids are supported in figuring out who they are and who they can be, all while staying authentic to themselves,” says one parent.

This is a school that’s genuinely rooted in its core values, meaning that social-emotional learning, service, and responsible citizenship are integrated inside and outside the classroom. Judging by our interactions with faculty, administrators, parents, and students, everyone at KCS is truly aligned with the “Three School Rules,” which are Respect, Manners, and Try Your Best. “The rules are beautiful in their simplicity, and they’re so important in today’s world and to be future-ready,” says Head of School, Garth Nichols.

KCS delivers a seamless Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 learning experience where the core principles are consistent. “What sets us apart is a really deliberate pathway through and between every grade,” says Nichols. “From day one, we focus on developing students’ independence and agency inside and outside the classroom through inquiry and project-based learning.”

As the Senior School has matured since its launch in 2022, KCS has taken a very intentional approach to forging strong links across the grades and divisions. Students interact through student leadership opportunities, academic projects, co-curriculars, and mentoring, while also making use of facilities at both locations through cross-campus activities.

Visitors feel at home as soon as they walk through KCS’s doors on either campus. The Parent Network is a strong part of the school, where parents matter to the life of the school. “When students and families come here, they have a really good feeling of being at a community-based school where they can become part of and contribute to a tight-knit community,” says Nichols.

KCS has an upbeat energy, but also a sense of calm and purpose. “Our school community is open, caring, and kind,” says Director of Advancement Hallie McClelland, who helps with community engagement. “Everyone’s ideas are welcome. Everyone is treated fairly. And it’s a fun place to be.” Based on our visit, this is an apt description of the school’s atmosphere.

The parents we spoke to echo this assessment of the school’s culture. “Every child is known and loved and cared for, and no one flies under the radar,” says one. “You can feel that throughout the school.” Student well-being and youth mental health are top priorities at KCS. Former Head of School Derek Logan invested in mental health initiatives long before it became the norm in education, and Nichols shares his predecessor’s deep commitment to promoting students’ overall wellness.

“At the end of the day, parents want their children in a community where everyone wants the best for them, both academically and as whole people,” says one parent. In our estimation, KCS is that community.

KCS is a co-ed, independent day school for JK to Grade 12 students with two campuses, located a 15-minute drive apart in Etobicoke (a suburb of Toronto’s west end).

The Junior School campus on Dundas Street West sits between two well-known features of the neighbourhood—historic St. George’s On-the-Hill Anglican Church and Humbertown Park. For newcomers to KCS, they need only look for the church’s tall white spire to know they’re in the right spot. While the school owes its beginnings to the church, KCS welcomes students from any religious background.

Still, the two institutions have a friendly relationship. Students attend weekly non-religious assemblies in the church’s chapel, for example. “These assemblies give our school community the chance to regularly come together to talk about our values, as embodied in the Three School Rules, and generally explore how to be a good person,” says Head of Junior School, Dr. Matina Mosun.

The Junior School sits in a leafy setting that’s set high enough above the road to feel insulated from any traffic. Approaching the main entrance, there’s nothing intimidating about the handsome reddish brick building, though the floor-to-ceiling windows on the southeast corner are impressive. “It’s a beautiful campus with a lot of trees, and it’s just got a really bright, airy feel to it,” says one parent.

The Junior School draws its students from Etobicoke and west-end Toronto neighbourhoods such as Bloor West Village and High Park. “Most kids are within a 15-minute drive, and some walk,” says McClelland. “But we’re starting to see families commute from farther afield, such as Mississauga and midtown Toronto.” Parents will want to note that there’s no school bus system, but before-school supervision is free from 7:45 a.m. to 8:25 a.m., and after-school care is available until 6:00 p.m. for a fee. For lunch, families can opt to pack meals or pay for the hot lunch program. There is also a school bus shuttle between the two campuses.

There’s natural light throughout most of the interior, where there have been multiple renovations over the decades. The additions are well-integrated, and there’s no part of the school that doesn’t feel fresh and modern, yet comfortable. The whole Junior School campus feels full of colour and life, from a 30-foot garden wall and super-sized graphics bearing the school’s key messages to a lively innovation lab. At different times, the multi-purpose lobby is an art gallery, concert venue, collaboration zone, or community gathering space.

Classrooms are modern and inviting, with class sizes of around 20 to 22. Another favourite spot is the recently revamped art studio, a window-lined room well-stocked with all the creative tools and materials a child could imagine.

The award-winning outdoor classroom—complete with multiple play structures, free-play space, and a courtyard-style reading circle—is popular with students and teachers alike. When we visited, a renovation of the outdoor activity space for Kindergarten to Grade 2 students was underway. “They’ll have an area for physical education and other activities designed specifically for their ages and abilities,” says McClelland.

To keep kids moving, there’s a full-sized gym, but the city park across the street sees nearly as much playtime since it’s leased by KCS for exclusive use from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm each weekday. Recently, the school installed a new playground and stormwater management system at the park, a $1.7 million project that benefited both students and the wider community. This type of mutually beneficial community partnership is central to the KCS approach. Students make use of the wide array of nearby athletic, arts, and cultural amenities.

The search for a Senior School campus was inspired by research from within the educational sector and beyond, as well as the aspirations that the KCS community had for students: to be Future-Ready. Originally, they looked at more traditional models of campuses, but research and consultation led them in a different direction. “We were looking to seek a campus that was inspiring, almost like a hub, where we could use the city as part of the campus,” says Garth Nichols, Head of School. “As we did the research on the best new educational models, we realized that more learning would happen if the students got outside the school more often. We live in an amazing city full of facilities and green spaces that no school can match.”

The Senior School opened in 2022 in the 40,000 square feet of wood and glass on Lake Shore Boulevard West, at the mouth of the Humber River. Situated above the fray on the second and third floors, just 15 minutes from the Junior School, the Senior School campus neighbourhood has been cleared for wide-ranging development over the next decade, including new condo towers and a GO Train stop.

KCS administrators counted on this growth to build enrollment, and so far, it’s happening. In 2025, total enrollment was just under 110 students – a significant jump from 2022 – with a growing number of Grade 8 graduates choosing KCS alongside new students from the developing neighbourhood. Current projections are for this number to reach about 200 within a few years, which will enrich the student body’s diversity while maintaining small class sizes and the intimate, small-school culture.

The Senior School campus is an award-winning, light-filled, open-concept space with soaring ceilings and light wood finishes throughout. “Everything is purpose-built for our educational philosophy, which is focused on student-driven, experiential learning,” says Garth Nichols.

When visitors first step into the light-filled foyer of the Senior School, they are welcomed into the school’s hub, called the Logan Family Market Place. It’s a bright, lively, informal space where students meet to collaborate, study, socialize, or simply eat lunch. There’s a student-run café, which is integral to students’ entrepreneurship education, that puts on a weekly lunch for students and frequently caters to school events, to positive reviews.

In addition to the open areas, there are classrooms of multiple sizes designed to accommodate various large and small groups, three conference rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness centre, and an art studio. A student-coordinated jumbo screen at a central junction showcases student artwork and promotes school news and events.

The second and final stage of construction of the 40,000-square-foot facility was completed in 2025. One of the central features is MacLachlan Hall, a large gathering space that can accommodate the whole Senior School for physical education, performances, assemblies, and special events. Dedicated rooms off the main hall include a music studio and an audio-visual control centre where students run lighting, sound, and video effects.

Other highlights of the more recently finished half of the building include a leading-edge Communications Technology Lab and Editing Suite attached to a Prototyping Makerspace, and a Student Services Hub. On the school’s top floor, students can walk out to a beautiful rooftop terrace with greenery and views of the waterfront.

The groups of Senior School students we spoke to were obviously proud of their school, pointing out architectural highlights and smaller features such as the soundproofing in conference rooms. “It’s beautiful and really modern,” says one Grade 10 student.

Like their Junior School counterparts, Senior School students take advantage of the wealth of facilities, services, and organizations around them. “Our Senior School students can often be found exploring the city,” says Nichols. In our conversations with Senior School students, they spoke with enthusiasm about rowing at the nearby Argonaut Club and using the various athletic facilities at the Boulevard Club—not to mention the countless curriculum-related excursions to concert venues, galleries, businesses, and not-for-profits. This allows programming to access nature, downtown and the duality of both from their front door.“We have everything we need and more to create an engaging, future-ready education, says Nichols.

KCS owes its founding to a group of parishioners at St. George’s On-the-Hill Anglican Church. In the late 1980s, as church attendance fell, the congregation began to explore what to do with a building traditionally used for Sunday School and community groups. Many of the families involved in this investigation had young children, and they were dissatisfied with the public education system. The idea of establishing an independent school came up, and by 1989, the doors of KCS opened to 50 students in Grades 1 to 5.

While the founders remained involved in the school, it was non-denominational from the start. Enrollment grew steadily, compelling the construction of a new wing with a library and two classrooms in 1994. By 1999, KCS had extended to Grade 8. A couple of years later, the school began doubling the classes at each grade level, sparking two more additions that included 14 classrooms, music rooms, a science lab, and a multi-purpose room.

Over the course of the 2012-13 school year, KCS amalgamated with the church’s nursery school, enabling the school to offer programming from pre-Kindergarten to Senior Kindergarten. The pandemic made running the nursery school problematic, so it hasn’t been offered since September 2020. Today, KCS has a long-term lease on the land on which the school sits with the church, but it’s more of a friendship than just a business relationship, with non-religious connections between the two institutions.

Another significant chapter in KCS’s history came in 2022 with the opening of the Senior School, the culmination of five years of planning and fundraising. “We looked at what’s happening in secondary and post-secondary education and in different industries, and we considered the advice of thought leaders worldwide around how high school should prepare students,” says Dr. Matina Mosun.

Over the course of just a few decades, KCS has evolved into a K-12 school. “Parents can now see their child’s journey from growing through all the years at the Junior School to moving into the unique experience at the Senior School,” says Nichols. “We’ve realized our bold vision of ‘One School, Two Campuses’.”

When we met Nichols shortly after he became Head of School at KCS in the summer of 2025, his excitement about the new role was obvious. It was also very in character for him, judging by his naturally positive demeanour and genuine passion for education.

“I’ve always wanted to be an educator, which to me is all about working with the young people of today, getting to know them, and supporting them as much as I can to reach their potential,” says Nichols, who earned his bachelor’s degree at Queen’s University. He completed his Bachelor of Education (and later Master of Education) at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. He has taught at other CAIS and CIS Ontario schools, where he was always involved in coaching, clubs and teaching, and this continues to be the case at KCS.

Taking on the Head of School role at KCS was the culmination of a career that has seen him rise through the ranks of independent school education over more than two decades. He spent a few years at Trinity College School, his alma mater, before moving on to increasingly senior roles at Greenwood College School, Bayview Glen, and finally Havergal College. At the latter, he was Vice Principal of portfolios focused on areas such as strategic innovation, design, and experiential and global education.

When the opportunity to lead KCS came up, Nichols jumped at it. “One of the things that most attracted me to KCS was the spirit of innovation that rests on an amazing foundation of a strong community,” he says. The school’s mission to develop lifelong learners was another big draw. “School is one of the most significant parts of children’s lives, so figuring out how to create a lasting love of learning in them is so critical.”

Perhaps most of all, Nichols’ personal philosophy of education aligned with KCS’s deeply student-centred approach. “We need to provide students with choice and opportunity to define what success might be for them, and support them in getting there,” he says. “To do that, we need to be really curious about who they are, first and foremost, then present different pathways for them to learn.”

When it comes to discipline and conflict management, Nichols is both reflective and practical. “Conflict, for me, means that there’s a tension between ideas, not necessarily people,” he says. “There are always ways to use compassion and curiosity to invite a conversation that can get to the heart of it.”

The school community can expect Nichols to lead in a collaborative, energetic, and joyful way. “I have a saying that I use all the time, that the smartest person in the room is the room,” he says. “So, my leadership is about building great rooms and facilitating protocols and conversations that get the best out of our people. I bring a lot of energy to the room because I love what I do. Even in the hardest of times, this is a calling that fills me with joy. I think that humour plays a key role in leadership as a way of connecting with people.”

Another way that Nichols will connect with the KCS community is through direct proximity. He’ll be greeting students at the door each morning and coaching at least one team every year, as he always has in his career, to build rapport with students.

Looking toward the start of his first academic year, Nichols couldn’t conceal his enthusiasm. “It sounds cliché, but I just can’t wait for students to arrive in September and see this incredible community in action,” he says. “That’s what I love the most about my job.”

KCS designs its academic programs with a view to creating well-rounded, lifelong learners. Traditional academic achievement is certainly a priority, but it’s not the only priority. The standards at KCS are high. Students strive to do their best, and they tend to excel. It’s an academically rigorous school, yet the demands are tempered by a strong commitment to individualized instruction, academic support, and student well-being.

The school goes beyond the standard Ontario curriculum to offer students multiple opportunities for enrichment, whether by digging deep into projects tied to their interests or by making connections with real-world issues through experiential learning. STEM learning—whether it’s creating art with natural objects found in kindergarten students’ outdoor playtime or building robots and video games in fully-equipped labs at the Junior and Senior School campuses—is integral to this enrichment.

“Project-based learning is something that comes into play from a very young age at KCS and extends right into the Senior School,” says Mosun. “We teach students to express their curiosity, apply their increased skills, and collaborate and problem-solve.”

Joint projects enhance the cohesiveness between the Junior and Senior Schools. “There’s authentic collaboration between the campuses all the time,” says Mosun. “Older students recently helped our Grade 4 students make videos for a book study, for example, and other partnerships have brought classes together that were doing similar units in science.”

There are also avenues for accelerated learning starting in the early grades, where advanced readers and gifted math students can join small groups of students with similar abilities. The signature Four Doors to Learning program integrates academics, arts, athletics, and citizenship throughout the KCS curriculum.

In terms of the citizenship “door,” KCS embeds character education throughout students’ academic (and co-curricular) experiences. “Along with giving our students a really strong academic grounding, making sure they’re good people is at the heart of what we do,” says the Assistant Head of Junior School, Mark Magee. “Our school’s previous tagline, ‘Knowing what matters in life,’ captures our commitment to educating students not just in the core subjects, but in broader life skills and values.”

The Three School Rules came up in almost every conversation we had with the KCS community. “The students are held accountable for abiding by those rules,” says one parent with a daughter in the Junior School and two sons who attended until Grade 8. “Students’ success in following those rules is threaded into their report cards in some capacity.”

“The Three School Rules teach timeless skills that students need today,” says Nichols. “Respect and manners are fundamentally about understanding that we’re all part of a community, and trying your best is about persisting when faced with all types of challenges, including academic ones.”

According to Intermediate Lead Teacher, Shelley Gaudet, one way that KCS teachers demonstrate their commitment to the Three School Rules is by respecting students’ different learning styles. “We appreciate every student as an individual in the classroom, and tailor our teaching for them,” she says. Differentiated learning underpins the KCS teaching philosophy, and it requires that teachers truly know their students. Based on our conversations across the school, we can attest to the fact that students feel known, and parents believe teachers have a genuine understanding of their children’s strengths and challenges.

“The teachers take the time to understand your child as an individual and translate that into programming, or simply connecting with them in a way that makes them feel so empowered and cared for,” says one parent of a Junior School student. “The way my daughter feels supported has allowed her to do really amazing things.”

Students can demonstrate their learning in diverse ways, depending on their interests and talents. “They may want to write some code or create video games, do a traditional piece of writing or present to the class,” says Magee. “They get a say, but we also make sure that they’re not always defaulting to the same methods.”

KCS teachers are experts in their fields, with many holding multiple degrees and at least a decade of experience. “The turnover is low, which creates a strong faculty culture,” says Mosun, whose doctoral degree focused on how teachers adapt their practice to meet students’ needs. “Our teachers care so much and work so hard to create an environment where students feel driven and excited to learn.”

Many of the teachers we met commented on the strong bonds among faculty members, collegial culture, and commitment to continuous faculty learning. “We’re not complacent,” says Mosun. “We know we have to keep innovating, and we’re a really creative and dedicated group.” The professional development program at KCS is comprehensive, offering teachers the chance to enhance their skills and knowledge through internal knowledge exchange and external education.

Junior School

The Junior School, which runs from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8, is where KCS students learn and practice the skills, knowledge, and confidence to become independent, self-motivated learners. In each division—Early Learning ( Junior and Senior Kindergarten), Primary (Grades 1 to 3), Junior (Grades 4 to 6) and Intermediate (Grades 7 and 8)—the Junior School creates age-appropriate opportunities for students to discover their interests, hone their research capabilities, and forge connections with the world outside the classroom.

“There’s so much investment in the Junior School into knowing our students as people and learners, and supporting them and exploring what their passions might be,” says Nichols. The child-centred Reggio Emilia philosophy, where teachers view children as capable and competent and respond to students’ ideas and interests, inspires the KCS Early Learning Program.

Kindergarten Lead Teacher Lise Russo says it all starts with getting to know these youngest learners as people. “We do a lot of observation to see who they are as individuals first, and then we develop a relationship with our students. This allows us to develop lessons that are meaningful to them and guide their individual projects.”

Direct instruction in the fundamentals is also part of Kindergarten, such as introducing students to literacy through the Handwriting Without Tears and Reading Mastery programs and starting French instruction. But there’s still ample time to explore, play, and socialize in the beautiful outdoor classroom.

Visual art, music, and drama are essential to the curriculum. Parents will be interested to know that there’s a dedicated art studio and full-time art teachers in the Primary Division, and Grade 1 students start learning to read music in preparation for choosing an instrument in Grade 5.

Daily small-group learning is integral to the academic program throughout the Junior School, with ability-based reading groups starting in SK and similar workshops in math and science starting in Grade 1. The school also uses the latest evidence-based methods, such as digital literacy screening and progress-monitoring tools, to assess reading and math proficiency. “We’re always improving in the ways that we use data to inform our instruction,” says Mosun.

Bringing students together according to their capabilities—whether it’s to offer them challenges beyond their level or provide support in reaching their level—continues through Grade 8. “It’s all about engagement,” says Mosun, noting that there are special resources and contests available for talented math students. “It’s our responsibility to ensure that students are highly engaged, so they can feel invested in their own learning.” Another way that KCS cultivates student engagement is through project-based learning that springs from student concerns and passions. These projects tend to cross disciplines and require collaboration with multiple students and/or teachers.

While project-based learning is a newer approach in elementary school pedagogy, at least compared to what KCS parents might have experienced, it’s in fact a very structured method, and pedagogy that faculty are trained on at the school. “We make sure that we’re teaching students the core skills along the way, such as asking critical questions, conducting proper research, and writing up their findings,” says Mosun.

In one facet of project-based learning, Junior School students have the chance to explore robotics starting in Grade 4. While many independent schools have co-curricular robotics programs, KCS embeds it into the curriculum, allowing students to tackle real-world issues from a design/robotics perspective. “By the time they’re in Grades 6, 7, and 8, students are equipped to go much deeper on these projects because they start so young,” says Mosun.

This learning continues for students at the Senior School via the KCS By Design Program. Starting in Grade 9, all students join a leadership committee based on an area of interest and use a Design Thinking approach to guide efforts to make a positive impact on the school and broader community. The Path Program complements this work by supporting and empowering students to pursue an interest or passion and connect it to their coursework in relevant ways, under the guidance of a Faculty Advisor and a dedicated external Path mentor. “When students are able to connect their learning to a deeply engaging experience, that learning becomes real, impactful and unforgettable,” says Assistant Head of Senior School, Laura Sardone.

Starting in Grade 6, KCS students write exams in some of their courses. The reason, the teachers told us, was not just to provide a useful form of assessment, but to practice the critical skill of exam writing at an earlier stage. KCS also uses some standardized tests in the Junior School. “It’s a way of seeing how our students are faring compared with other students across Canada,” says Mosun. “The results show that our students are very strong in literacy, numeracy, and reasoning skills.”

Much of the Junior School curriculum is linked to real-life events and issues in local, national, and global communities. “It’s not uncommon for our teachers to say, ‘Let’s email that MP’ or ‘Let’s write to that scientist,’” says Mosun. “We encourage students, safely and with support, to reach out to the greater community and to experts. We want them to experience things that are real and relevant to them.” In the Intermediate Division, students take project-based learning to a new level by completing Passion Projects—long-term investigations into topics of their choice.

Service learning is integrated throughout the Junior School curriculum. Younger students learn about various causes and make contributions as a class, while older students choose their own paths. There’s a dedicated service-learning class in Grade 7 where students design their own projects. “They identify a need in the community, research it, and make connections to external organizations with their teachers’ guidance,” says Mosun.

We spoke to a group of Intermediate students about the highlights of their progression into the upper echelons of the Junior School, and the two things that came up most often were the Passion Projects and the Electives Program. In the latter, students get to choose from about a dozen courses designed to expand their academic and co-curricular horizons. Many electives continue into the Senior School, and often Senior School students will support our younger students, giving Grade 7 and 8 students regular exposure to their older classmates and the chance to use the Senior School’s state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Prototyping Makerspace.

Other unique features to note in the Junior School include a gradual acceleration of the provincial curriculum across the grades (culminating in Intermediate students learning Grade 9 and 10 content), a comprehensive outdoor education program that progresses from day-long trips to overnight adventures, the Student Entrepreneurship Program, and the Young Authors of KCS Program.

Senior School

The KCS Senior School reimagines how—and where— teenagers learn best, based on the latest educational research. This is reflected in their award-winning design of the campus. It doesn’t look like any other secondary school we’ve seen in the GTA, and the deep, intentional design goes far beyond the surface.

“We’ve designed our curriculum to give students the skills, knowledge, and experiences they’ll need to be successful in our complex and ever-changing world,” says Nichols. The Junior School’s long-time dedication to innovation and holistic development helped inform the Senior School’s creation, but the latter has gone even further in delivering an education for the 21st century.

Students benefit from an enriched, deeply experiential approach that involves frequent hands-on learning outside the school, interaction with mentors and external experts, independent research, and meaningful leadership opportunities. “At the Senior School, we ensure our students are meeting the challenges of a rigorous academic program while simultaneously looking out into the ‘real world,’” says Nichols.

The Senior School space is visually stunning, with the ultra-modern feel of a successful tech or design company. Though it’s no longer brand-new, we still felt a start-up energy in the environment and the people we met there. Interestingly, Director of Guidance Jennifer Lillie has noticed that there’s a sizeable contingent of entrepreneurs among the parents. “They’re people who are willing to let their children step into new pathways of learning that access the skills, talents and interests that are future-ready,” she says.

Yet the spirit of innovation doesn’t require any compromise at KCS, as Senior School students’ course options rival those of larger, older independent schools. “Even if some classes have only a handful of students, we’re committed to offering a breadth of courses because we want every student to be able to go in the post-secondary direction they choose,” says Lillie.

It’s important to point out that, despite its forward-looking ethos, this is definitely not an alternative school. Teachers follow the Ontario curriculum, and the students are all on track for post-secondary education. They’re just doing it in some different ways. “Families need to be aware that building the model for the Senior School was an evidence-based exercise,” says one parent who was involved in the planning process. “There’s a wealth of research behind what they’re doing.”

The result is a school that upends much of the status quo in high school education. One of the core philosophies is called “place-based learning,” which essentially means that students often learn most effectively outside the classroom in places directly related to the lessons at hand. “We say that Toronto is our classroom,” says Senior School teacher Janet Gowans. “Recently we’ve gone to real labs to demonstrate concepts in science, for example, and tried out photography techniques in Graffiti Alley.” Parents sign a permission form allowing students to travel anywhere in a 50-kilometre radius, and there are extended periods in the timetable to accommodate the excursions.

Based on the enthusiasm of the Senior School students we met, this approach has been a hit. The teens were eager to describe all the outings they’d been on and how the experiences improved their learning. “In music class, we go to performances like the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and it’s a lot more enriching to hear professional musicians play in their natural habitats than on recordings,” says one student.

Teachers often customize place-based learning to enable positive impacts on the community—a pillar of the KCS approach. Students pair up with local organizations to address a problem, such as when they donned hip waders and collected water samples in Lake Ontario for the organization Swim, Drink, Fish, or pulled out invasive plant species in High Park.

The outings can also be simple and closer to home, such as when a math class learned how to calculate slope using the ramps outside. “We get to actually experience what we’re learning about,” says one Grade 9 student. “That really helps me, because when we’re doing math, I can’t understand all the little pieces that go into something until I see how they all connect.”

Parents can be confident that KCS balances in-class time with measured, intentional excursions - KCS prioritizes a community campus experience. Senior School teachers recognize that some students would be happy to spend nearly every day exploring the city, but others are more content in a quiet study space. There’s a balance between experiencing the outside world and consolidating the learning in the classroom.

Another link to the real world comes through the Learning Community Program, where Senior School students can access the resources and expertise of a wide array of community leaders. Some of the Learning Partners in the program receive payment for their services, such as recreational facilities, while the rest are individual volunteers willing to share their knowledge. These people—who include a growing number of KCS parents—may speak at the school, respond to student inquiries, host field trips, or provide mentorship.

“We want a school where students meet more adults—external experts and people who bring different lived experiences,” says Laura Sardone, Assistant Head of Senior School. “We are working with more than 60+ vetted partners. These partners directly and indirectly show students the variety of avenues they could pursue in their careers.”

Two other key programs similarly increase students’ engagement with real-world challenges, but within the context of the school. Every student is part of at least one full entrepreneurial venture during their time at the Senior School. “We’re nurturing the mindset and skillset of entrepreneurs, something that’s going to be essential for this generation,” says Sardone.

Grade 10 students are 100% responsible for the running of the school café, from doing the market research and creating the business plan to pricing and staffing. In the future, there will be a school store and a social enterprise.

KCS By Design is another program where students must grapple with challenges that are common in the wider world. In this novel leadership program, students identify a problem or opportunity within the school and use a design thinking process to address it. “This guarantees that every student is involved in authentic leadership and making a true difference at the school,” says Sardone. “It’s part of our efforts to build students’ sense of agency.”

Through KCS By Design, students have organized a sports day, started a debating club, and chosen art for their building, to name a few projects. One parent of a Senior School student says KCS By Design has had a profoundly positive influence on her son. “He feels he can provide feedback and be heard, and actually work on real projects that affect the school,” she says.

The Path Program is perhaps the centrepiece of the KCS Senior School curriculum. From Grade 9 to Grade 11, students choose a topic to study in depth—on school time—from the perspectives of the school’s Four Doors to Learning (academics, arts, athletics, and citizenship). To facilitate their investigations, every student has a one-on-one mentor with relevant expertise. For example, one student who is investigating primatology connected with a mentor in Indonesia who runs an orangutan rescue charity. Grade 12 students also offer Path mentorships to Grade 9 students.

“The school devotes regular time and resources to allow students to learn about what’s really important to them,” says one parent. “It’s a brilliant way to reach teens—taking what they’re already passionate about and making space to support it.” A side benefit, according to Lillie, is that students get firsthand exposure to professionals working in myriad fields, giving them deeper insight into their own post-secondary choices.

In the Path Program, students arrange off-site experiences to gather knowledge about their topic, integrate it into their coursework, and document everything in an e-portfolio. Some students stick with the same topic over all three years, while others switch topics each year as their interests evolve. At the end of each year, however, they must present their discoveries to the school community. In Grade 11, students complete a creative project based on their Path Project learning that has value in the outside world, along with an extended essay describing their three-year independent learning experience.

One aspect of the Path Project catches many students and parents off guard: there are no marks attached to it. “We’re passionate about creating lifelong, intrinsically motivated learners,” says Senior School teacher Craig Harris. “We do this to help students understand that learning is the reward.”

Even as the school continues to grow, it will remain committed to an enriched, experiential approach. “The school is creating the global citizens that our world needs right now,” says one parent. “They’re doing something that’s unique from any other school in Canada.”

Senior School Creative Labs

Many independent schools are upgrading their communications technology and makerspace offerings to help students keep pace with the skills they’ll need in today’s world, but few have gone as far as KCS.

The Communications Technology Lab, Editing Suite, and Prototyping Makerspace are physically linked in the newest part of the Senior School and form the heart of a school-wide organization called Creative Labs, where students act as real-world tech consultants not only to their peers across the grades, but to faculty and the wider KCS community. “Whether it’s making a video, recording a podcast, or building a physical model, students in the Creative Labs collaborate to support academic projects and co-curriculars at both KCS campuses,” says Clint Boal, the Senior School teacher who leads the initiative.

Every Grade 9 student takes a Communications Technology course, and many opt to continue with similar courses in the upper grades. Sometimes, students in one of these classes will take on a project requested by a member of the school community if it aligns with the curriculum. A recent example, says Boal, was learning to livestream a major school event.

In other cases, students with a special interest and aptitude volunteer with Creative Labs. “They get to apply their skills to authentic work, that’s not just them doing a project for me in class, which is what happens out in the real world,” says Boal.

While the focus is obviously on learning and applying the latest tech tools, along the way, students also learn critical “soft skills” such as effective communication, collaboration, and time management. Recent examples of Creative Labs projects include working with clubs to produce their marketing content, partnering with a student to produce prototypes of her jewellery designs, and shooting a pitch video for an entrepreneurship class. “In the end,” says Boal, “students get to see their work in a public-facing final product.”

Academic Support and Post-secondary Planning

KCS offers academic support that is wide and varied, including enrichment and challenge, as well as support. KCS is an academically rigorous school, and prospective families will want to know that there are limits to how far staff can go in bringing students up to speed. For students traditionally known as gifted, however, there are virtually no boundaries at KCS.

Each of the Junior School divisions has a Learning Strategist who works closely with teachers, parents, and students to design appropriate accommodations and extra support. “We provide a wide array of accommodations, and it’s not uncommon for our students to have IEPs (Individual Education Plans),” says Mosun. “We’ve normalized various accommodations so that students are confident in using strategies and resources that are recommended for them.”

The Junior School’s emphasis on differentiated learning through small-group instruction provides built-in support for all types of students. For those who are equipped to move ahead faster than some of their peers, it’s an ideal approach. “The sky’s the limit in terms of setting a high bar for students,” says Mosun. “And we find that most of our students are constantly striving to reach and stretch, at least a little bit.”

At the Senior School, all Grade 9 students with an Individual Education Plan take the Learning Strategies course to improve their study and research skills. What’s unique, however, is that KCS makes it possible for Grade 10 and 11 students without an IEP to fit an elective Learning Strategies course into their schedule so they can hone their executive functioning skills and get extra support. For students who opt not to take this course, extra help in the subjects that challenge them is always available.

“With our small class sizes, we can tailor about half of the course to each student’s area of particular academic need,” says Lillie. “And that can mean either extending students’ exploration beyond the curriculum or helping them keep pace, depending on the child. We focus both on enrichment and support.”

The inviting Student Services Hub in the Senior School is home to two Learning Support Specialists, including Lindsey Stefanovich. She says students are welcome to drop by before school to get one-on-one support or access a quiet study spot. “The hub is a resource for any student who requires academic support, academic enrichment, or social-emotional support,” says Stefanovich. “It’s that go-to place where they can feel safe and encouraged.” For students who would rather not use the Student Services Hub, the Learning Support Specialists work closely with classroom teachers to ensure they can build on students’ individual strengths and address their challenges within courses.

Stefanovich underscores that different ways of learning and demonstrating learning are embraced in the school culture. Based on our discussions with students and parents, this is true on the ground.

For the all-important planning for post-secondary education, Lillie provides customized guidance. The school’s place-based learning philosophy is ideal for in-depth explorations of students’ paths after graduation. “We regularly take our students to different universities and colleges for curriculum-related learning, which gives them firsthand experience of the campuses,” she says.

Based on graduating students’ success in gaining admittance to their first choice of post-secondary program, universities have recognized the innovative nature of KCS’s academic programs. Lillie was proud to share that the school’s first graduating class accepted offers at top schools across Canada (and one in the United States) in diverse areas of study.

It’s no wonder that the co-curricular offerings at KCS are rich and varied, given the philosophy summed up in the school’s motto, “Expand possible.”

There are more than 40 clubs in the Junior School for students to explore. “We’re a really supportive environment for kids to stretch and grow,” says McClelland. “But kids being kids, they sometimes need a gentle nudge in that direction.” In our conversations with students from across the grades, however, they enthusiastically listed off their co-curriculars and showed pride in the breadth and depth of the options.

On one of the days we visited KCS, the school’s Wake Up with the Arts event had just wrapped up at the Junior School. It’s a monthly opportunity for students, staff, families, and friends to gather in the main lobby and see a student art exhibit while enjoying performances by student musicians, dancers, and singers. “The performers are at all different levels, but they come in and share what they’ve learned,” says McClelland. “We cheer them on, and it’s wonderful.”

There are also more formal opportunities for students to showcase their abilities, including several concert bands and choirs, and the annual Junior School musical, which invites students from Grades 4–8 to join as backstage or on-stage participants.

One parent we met shared the story of her son, now graduated, discovering his musical talent at KCS. “I found the school was excellent at knowing things about my child that I couldn’t see,” she says. “My eldest son was known as being really athletic, but he also worked as a backstage crew member on the musical. One year, a teacher overheard him singing as he worked and said he had to try out for the cast the next year. He ended up getting the starring role, and it’s his fondest memory of his time at KCS.”

This parent also recalled how impressed she always was at KCS concerts and shows—not just by the talent, but by the unreserved support for the performers. “Some of the kids were really challenging themselves to get up on stage, and they were wholeheartedly celebrated,” she says. “Respect, manners, and trying your best are embedded in students. It’s all about progress, not perfection.”

The goal of the co-curricular program, says the Assistant Head of Junior School, Mark Magee, is to avoid the narrowing of focus that’s become very common among students at younger and younger ages. “I know the phrase ‘whole child’ gets thrown around a lot, but we really try to get our students to develop all aspects of themselves. It can limit future choices when eight-year-olds think of themselves only in one way, like ‘I’m a hockey guy’ or ‘I’m a math girl.’”

Encouraging students to test the edges of their comfort zones is part of the KCS way. Whether it’s entering a robotics competition, singing in the choir, joining a team, or going on a school trip, the aim is to move past the barriers that might be holding students back. When we spoke to Magee, he had just returned from a Grade 6 outdoor education trip. “They slept outside in tents in April, which for many kids meant pushing themselves a bit,” he says. “But that’s where authentic self-confidence and self-esteem come from.”

As one of the Four Doors to Learning at KCS, athletics are integral to every student’s experience. Junior School teams ranging from basketball and volleyball to swimming and ultimate frisbee compete in the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) and the Private Schools Athletic Association (PSAA), while intramurals offer a chance to experience internal competition.

Co-curriculars at the Senior School have ramped up every year since the campus opened, reaching a point where the offerings are much broader than what might be expected at a relatively small school. The Senior School students we met spoke animatedly about their involvement in clubs for rowing, environmental action, service, robotics, and the DECA business competitions – to name just a few.

In athletics, there’s an impressive array of opportunities at the recreational and competitive levels. The Senior School has a fully-equipped fitness studio and a physical education space in MacLachlan Hall, but students have many other options outside the building thanks to partnerships with nearby facilities such as the High Park curling and tennis club, Eurostep Basketball, Boulderz climbing, and the Boulevard Club (where students recently launched a sailing club). Then there’s the nearby lake and surrounding trails, where they can hike, run, or rollerblade just minutes away.

“Leveraging the community around us has multiple benefits,” says Senior School Director of Athletics Justin Massa. “School shouldn’t be isolated from the community because students will be living and working in it after graduation. Our goal is to start them on a path where they’re active for life, so it’s important to know all the sport and recreation facilities available.”

In addition to participating in multiple intramural teams, Senior School students compete in basketball, volleyball, cross country, swimming, skiing, and ultimate frisbee, with plans for badminton and soccer teams in the works. Teachers serve as coaches, and the school happens to have many staff members who are certified coaches in key sports.

“We are excited that the majority of our students, over 75% of them, engage in some kind of sport, which is remarkably high for this age group,” says Massa. “The advantage of being a young school is that our co-curricular and athletics programs are evolving in response to students’ interests.”

Service Learning

Visitors to the KCS Junior School will likely notice a display in the main lobby featuring cards with handwritten descriptions of all kinds of good deeds. It’s called the Wall of Service, and it’s a visible reminder of the school’s dedication to positively influencing its surrounding communities.

Every time a Junior School student completes an act of service— whether at school, at home, or further afield—they write it down on a “brick,” read it at assembly and then mount it on the wall. “For the younger students, it could be making cookies for a neighbour or picking up garbage in the park,” says Primary Lead Teacher, Keri Davis. “By sharing what they’ve done at assembly, students are helping to create our culture of giving.” Once all the spaces in the brick wall are filled in, students get a dress-down day as a reward and as a whole-school recognition of their values of citizenship and trying your best..

The prize is a nice motivation for individual acts of service, but KCS has a built-in structure for cultivating students’ civic impulses. Every grade in the Junior School participates in at least one service project each year, with the younger students working together as a class under their teachers’ guidance and the older students taking on independent initiatives.

In Grade 7, students take a class dedicated to service learning, where they find out what it takes to have a meaningful impact through their volunteer efforts. They plan and execute the projects, which have recently included performing dance routines at a seniors’ home, helping at the Special Olympics, and developing a game for younger students.

Students build on their service learning in the Senior School, where there’s more independence in how and where they choose to give their time and efforts. Sometimes a class will collaborate on a large project, such as a recent beach clean-up with a local environmental group, while individual students also fundraise for charities related to their Path Projects.

“Student well-being is a huge part of our programs here because students can’t learn if they’re unwell,” says Nichols. He often brings up the many and varied social pressures that confront today’s young people and demonstrates a strong commitment to helping students manage the external forces that threaten their emotional and mental health. “As a school, we must support identity development in a world where there’s a barrage of messages always coming at kids.”

Students in Grades 1 to 8 participate in the Second Step social-emotional learning program, which sparks dialogue around positive mental health through weekly conversations and curricular content. Grade 3 students dig even deeper into their emotions through the Zones of Regulation program.

KCS has a full-time Director of Student and Community Well-Being, Tamara Drummond, a certified counsellor who works with staff members to infuse mental health initiatives into all facets of the student experience. At assemblies, Drummond and other staff lead information sessions and discussions on healthy habits for mind and body, with students often contributing. There’s also a school nurse on staff to address the mental health challenges that often manifest as physical symptoms. And teachers integrate mindfulness skills into many aspects of the curriculum.

In our chat with Junior School students, they were happy to share how their school promotes well-being. “Everyone here cares about your mental health,” says one Grade 7 student. “They make sure we don’t do too much on the computer and encourage breaks so we can put our best foot forward.” A peer agreed, saying, “We get mental health time to relieve stress and try not to pack everything in.”

At the Senior School, there are just as many opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of holistic well-being and seek support in achieving it. Drummond collaborates closely with Lillie to deliver mental health-related talks at weekly assemblies and counsel students as needed. “They take mental health really seriously here,” says one Senior School student. “The teachers and Ms. Drummond teach us healthy habits and how to notice when you’re not doing well.”

According to Drummond, the essential foundation to student well-being at school is for them to feel truly known by teachers— something KCS does well. “Across the Junior and Senior School campuses, our teachers care about every student and recognize when they’re having a tough day, or if something bigger might be going on.”

The Senior School Adviser Program is central to the school’s efforts to support students’ overall well-being. Starting in Grade 9, every student joins a group of 10 to 12 peers matched with a teacher adviser, who stays with the group until Grade 12. A weekly adviser meeting is built into the timetable.

“Adviser group sessions are tailored to age and stage, but also to the concerns of particular groups of students,” says Lillie. “Advisers are the trusted adults outside the classroom who oversee students’ broad development. The discussions each week include topics such as community engagement, physical and mental health, social skills, and other well-being issues.” Advisers are also parents’ first point of contact on all academic and non-academic matters.

Every Friday, the Senior School has a scheduled well-being/community time blocked out where students can suggest activities such as yoga, quiet games, a nature walk, or special visitors such as therapy dogs.

The KCS student body is close-knit and very intentional in its efforts to nurture a cohesive community. The weekly assemblies at the Junior School go a long way toward creating unity and shared purpose within grades and across the divisions. Sometimes, the gatherings are all about fun and celebration—recognizing student achievements, enjoying student performances and presentations, and cheering on clubs and teams. At other times, the time in the chapel is focused on listening and reflecting on more serious subjects, such as compassion and service. The House system also helps build cross-grade friendships and school pride through friendly competition and spirit days throughout the year.

Our conversations across the KCS community left the impression that students have no time for exclusive cliques, let alone bullying. “Everyone is so nice to each other,” says one Grade 6 student. “Nobody is mean here. It’s a great vibe.” Her friend echoed this sentiment, saying, “Everyone respects each other, and whenever you’re alone, they’ll ask if you are okay and if you’ll play with us.”

A plaque that greets visitors at the Senior School reception desk says it all: “In our community, you can expect to be: Accepted and celebrated for your individuality. Appreciated for your ideas and questions. Free from bullying and comfortable in our company. We’re glad you’re here.” Judging by our conversation with a group of Senior School students, these aren’t just words. Alongside the expected jokes and lighthearted jabs, there was a sense of genuine camaraderie and respect within the group.

The school cultivates leadership skills at every stage, even in the youngest learners. Primary students have the chance to speak at assemblies, sometimes with the assistance of older children, and Junior division students can be Reading Buddies. All Grade 6 to 8 students participate in a formal leadership program, prepping them to lead assemblies and serve as House captains.

“There are leadership opportunities for all students, whether they’re in Grade 1 or Grade 8,” says one Junior School parent. “At other schools, those opportunities are reserved either for older students or they’re just not as forthcoming based on the sheer size of the school.”

This approach suits many teens, especially those who might not have engaged with student life in large, traditionally organized high schools. It’s a reflection of the KCS mission to encourage students to expand their self-concept and try new things. As one parent says, “Some other independent schools only want the kids who are already super-confident leaders. Well, that’s not who my kids are. I love that KCS nurtures those qualities in all students.”

Like all independent schools, KCS is directing more time and energy to equity, diversity, and inclusion. One of the current strategic goals is to expand the community catchment area, but even over the past decade, the demographics of the student body have evolved. “We’re excited that there’s a lot more diversity among students because the neighbourhood demographics are changing,” says one parent. “The school is building out that diversity through different events and celebrations that invite families to engage with the school.”

Nichols has a history of promoting initiatives designed to foster inclusion. “At Greenwood College School, I supported the launching of their first Gay-Straight Alliance,” he says. “And at Havergal College, I supported the stewarding of the Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation group of students. Here at KCS, there’s a rich history of celebrating diversity, making the school inclusive, and promoting a sense of belonging where students feel that they matter. I intend to continue and deepen those efforts because diversity is a strength to our community.”

Shelley Gaudet, the Citizenship Education Coordinator, says KCS has formalized its EDI efforts in curricular and co-curricular programs. “We’re now documenting all of our diversity and inclusion initiatives across the grades, which provides teachers with a map of different cultural celebrations and related resources. I’m finding that parents are more open to coming in and sharing their culture, maybe because they see our receptiveness.”

Open houses are a critical part of the admissions process at KCS. In the Junior School, there are no parent interviews, since the admissions team has usually already met the families at school events.

The Junior School admissions team initially takes students on a school tour, where they have an informal chat. Then there’s an age-appropriate assessment that’s been designed in-house. Even the Junior Kindergarten students complete one.

For older children, the assessment includes some reading comprehension, for example, and a bit of writing and math. A more formal student interview usually follows the assessment. The Senior School assesses applicants largely based on past transcripts and written work, along with an interview. For now, the Senior School offers rolling admissions throughout the year.

“We’re an academic school, and prospective students must be able to do the curriculum,” says Director of Admissions, Lisa Holmes. “But we have comprehensive academic support, so we do welcome students who may be struggling at their current schools but who we believe are capable of succeeding here.”

KCS tuition is on par with comparable schools, if not slightly lower. There is a one-time non-refundable infrastructure fee due upon acceptance.

The school offers financial assistance to some Junior School students who are already enrolled and may need some short-term assistance. There is also support that may be available to new students entering the Senior School with applications assessed through a third-party financial services provider. Grade 8 students also receive an enrollment loyalty bursary when they stay at KCS for Senior School.

KCS wouldn’t be the school it is without its dedicated parents. Some families are more involved than others, of course, but everyone gives at least some of their time throughout the year. It’s just another expression of the strong community spirit that enlivens and energizes KCS.

“Moving forward, we want to sustain and hopefully increase parent involvement, and support them in helping the school reach its goals,” says Nichols. “We’re all here for the same reasons.”

All families are members of the Parent Network, but there’s a core group that has the ability and inclination to commit to executive positions and long-term roles such as Class Parent. For the rest, multiple options offer flexibility—and often some fun. There are social events for parents, such as coffee mornings, pub nights, and more.

And of course, parents are always needed to help at special school celebrations like sports days, the Terry Fox Run, art shows, and year-end barbeques. “Our families donate about 4,500 hours a year, or 15 hours per family,” says McClelland. “We would not be a successful school without them.” From pickleball and family skates to coffee gatherings, there are multiple events where parents can gather throughout the year.

KCS works hard to ensure that every new family feels a sense of belonging from day one. There’s a New Family Welcome event just before classes start in September, and new families are paired with “seasoned” families who can show them the ropes. Moreover, the parents we spoke to were happy with the amount and type of communication from the school, which includes a weekly email newsletter, homeroom websites, a learning management system, and social media presence.

There are regular opportunities for parents to observe the day-to-day life of their children at KCS that go beyond the usual parents’ night or special events. At the Junior School, for example, parents are invited to accompany their children to their classrooms on certain mornings to see what they’ve been working on. “We want parents to understand how their children’s learning is unfolding, not just look at the final products they might bring home,” says Mosun. “It’s a way of increasing parents’ confidence in teachers and in the value their children are getting from attending KCS.”