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Go to child profileAurora Preparatory Academy is a small school that produces big results. With our lower class sizes, teachers develop a meaningful connection with each child, facilitating higher academic performance and stronger overall development. Our welcoming, inclusive community ensures an environment where students, teachers and families work together for the success of every learner. By meeting and enhancing the Ontario curriculum, our approach to education promotes independence, responsibility and confidence. We provide an impressive programme with an ideal balance of academic, athletic, artistic and social development – including positive discipline and effective problem-solving strategies. In addition, we have an abundance of extra-curricular activities, including swimming, skating, team sports, intramurals and numerous after-school clubs. We even have an annual school musical that is the highlight of our third term. For those families who need it, aftercare is available daily until 6 pm. Finally, Aurora Prep’s tuition is one of the most affordable in York Region, offering convenient installment plans.
We all want to go where everyone knows our name, and while there is a strong academic program at APA, that sense of place is one of the primary draws for the families that enroll here. Students are known throughout the school, and their successes are routinely recognized, shared, and celebrated. For many students, that in itself can provide a transformative learning experience. The community of the school actively includes the parents and siblings of the students who attend, something that brings a welcome warmth and familiarity to the lived experience of the school. The size of the school also allows for faculty to approach each student individually, providing appropriate challenge and support to ensure that all reach their academic and social potentials. The ideal student is one who will thrive in a close-knit, personal, challenging academic setting.
Gallery showcasing school life and general photos of Aurora Preparatory Academy.
Fully equipped Gymnasium
Playground and ample outdoor space, along with convenient access to the Aurora Leisure Complex for swimming and skating fun
School Teams & After-School Sports
Hands-on artistic creations
Art & Crafts
Yearly, School-wide Musical
Welcome to our 19,000 square foot facility!
Ample outdoor space
Three recess breaks, daily, on our private, fenced yard
Primary Classroom
Bright, Spacious Classrooms
Kindergarten Classroom
Investigating the world around us
Science Room
Learning takes place both in and outside the classroom
Laptops, iPads, and E-Beams enhance learning at every grade
Outdoor Classroom
Student Lounge
Lunch Room - a community lunch time for everyone!
Music Room - vocal and instrumental instruction across the grades
Gallery showcasing specific locations and facilities found at Aurora Preparatory Academy.
| Focus |
|---|
| Academic |
DIBELS Testing: This school does not use DIBELS testing to assess reading progress.
| Subject | offered |
|---|---|
| Evolution as consensus theory | |
| Evolution as one of many equally viable theories | |
| Evolution is not taught |
| Subject | offered |
|---|---|
| Biology | |
| Chemistry | |
| Ecology | |
| Geology | |
| Meteorology | |
| Physics | |
| Physiology | |
| Zoology |
| Subject | offered |
|---|---|
| Acting | |
| Dance | |
| Drama/Theatre | |
| Graphic Design | |
| Music | |
| Visual Arts |
| Expressive | |
| Disciplined |
| Subject | offered |
|---|---|
| Computer science | |
| Robotics | |
| Web design |
| Flexible pacing style | offered |
|---|---|
| Subject-streaming (tracking) | |
| Multi-age classrooms as standard | |
| Ability-grouping (in-class) as common | |
| Frequent use of cyber-learning (at-their-own-pace) | |
| Regular guided independent study opportunities | |
| Differentiated assessment |
Students remain in a regular classroom for the whole day; the teacher receives special training in accommodating special needs and/or learning disabled students.
| Subject Type | offered |
|---|---|
| Learning strategy and study counselling; habit formation | |
| Extra support and minor accommodations for children experiencing subclinical difficulties |
| Subject Type | offered |
|---|---|
| Accommodations | |
| Modifications | |
| Extra support |
Read our guide to special needs schools and special education
| Program | offered |
|---|---|
| Full-time gifted program (parallel to rest of school) | |
| Part-time gifted program (pull-out; parallel to rest of class) |
Curriculum delivery: Enrichment (The main focus is on enrichment. This means that while students may work at a marginally quicker pace than public school peers, the primary aim is to study subject in broader and deeper ways.)
| Program | offered |
|---|---|
| Custom subject enrichment (special arrangement) | |
| Custom curriculum compacting (special arrangement) | |
| Guided independent study (custom gifted arrangement) | |
| Cyber-learning opportunities (custom gifted arrangement) | |
| Formalized peer coaching opportunities (specifically for gifted learners to coach others) | |
| Custom subject acceleration (special arrangement) | |
| Career exploration (custom gifted arrangement) | |
| Project-based learning (custom gifted arrangement) | |
| Mentorships (custom gifted arrangement) |
| Lettered or numbered grades | Gr. 4 to Gr. 8 |
| Prose (narrative)-based feedback | JK to Gr. 8 |
| Academic achievement reporting | JK to Gr. 8 |
| Habits and behaviour reporting | JK to Gr. 8 |
| Parent-teacher meetings | JK to Gr. 8 |
Competitive sports: 15
Recreational sports: N/A
Aurora Preparatory Academy offers 18 clubs and extracurricular programs.
| JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| Day | $14,900 | |||||||||
Discounts
| Discount Type | Enrolment Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Full payment | all students | $1,500 |
| Early payment | all students | $1,500 |
| 2nd child (sibling) | all students | $750 |
| 3rd child (sibling) | all students | $1,500 |
This information is not currently available.
| Grades | Gender | Living Arrangement | Enrolment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | JK to Gr. 8 | Coed | Day | 110 |
| Total enrolment | 110 |
| Average class size | 12 to 14 |
| % of international students (total enrolment) | N/A |
| Number of different nationalities within student population | N/A |
| JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Enrollment | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Assessment | Required | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Interview | JK - 8 | |
| SSAT | ||
| SSAT (out of province) | ||
| Entrance Exam(s) | ||
| Entrance Essay | N/A |
Day students: Rolling
Offer mid-year entry: Yes
Application fee: N/A
Registration fee: N/A
Deposit: N/A
Once a child has completed a Trial Day and been accepted to our programme, the following documents are required:
A non-refundable deposit is required in order to secure placement. Please see our Tuition Schedule for further details regarding fees and payment options.
This is the percentage of applicants typically accepted into the school. So if 50 students are admitted out of 100 applicants, the school has an overall acceptance rate of 50%.
Student Entry Points
This shows approximately how many openings there are likely to be in each grade in a typical year, as well as the estimated acceptance rate for each grade level.
| Student Type | JK | SK | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 3 - 8 (90%) | 3 - 8 (90%) | 3 - 8 (90%) | 3 - 8 (90%) | 3 - 8 (90%) | 3 - 8 (90%) | 3 - 8 (90%) | 3 - 8 (90%) | 3 - 8 (90%) | 3 - 8 (90%) |
| Alumnus | Grad Year | Accomplishment |
|---|---|---|
| Rachel Parent | 2013 | Rachel is an activist who has become the face for the GMO labelling debate in Canada. |
We would like to introduce you to Aurora Preparatory Academy, an institution that offers an exceptional elementary education in York region at a surprisingly reasonable cost. Aurora Prep is owned and operated by a small, select group of teachers committed to continuing the unparalleled 35 years' success its predecessor, Foundations Private School, on the occasion of its principal's retirement. It has been an exciting year of transition and updates, honouring the past while embracing the future, and many of our current families are already registering in advance of the anticipated public interest.
Aurora Prep is a small school that produces big results, currently boasting a student population that allows us to provide exceptional individualized support to each of our students. Teachers and students enjoy a strong rapport that facilitates higher academic performance and stronger emotional development. In addition, we encourage our families to get involved in school life, and we provide many opportunities to do so. Together, our approach produces a welcoming, cohesive community that creates the best environment possible in which elementary students can thrive. While many schools may speak of foundation, community, and excellence, Aurora Prep espouses them as its fundamental, governing principles.
Our students are encouraged to do their best at all times, achieving excellence in every subject and activity. We promote responsibility, independence and effort, recognizing the inherent importance of the learning process and not just the final result. Aurora Prep students develop the courage to try new things and the mindset that they are capable of anything. They recognize that striving for academic excellence must be complemented by striving for excellence in all other aspects of life. A committed involvement in athletic, artistic or altruistic pursuits is an essential component of our students’ lives.
If you have any questions about our school, our approach, or our programmes, we invite you to contact me personlly and I would be happy to provide you additional information.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Vissers
The Trusted Source for Families since 1998
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