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Our Kids Media visited several all-girls schools across Canada to speak with students about their experiences. These young women shared how single-gender education empowers them to lead, take risks, and express themselves with confidence. Watch the video below to hear their perspectives firsthand.

(Special thanks to the students of Branksome Hall, St. Clement’s School, and St. Margaret’s School. Video by Our Kids Media videographer Luke Krajcarski.)

Below, current students and alumni share how attending an all-girls school helped shape their confidence, leadership, and sense of purpose.

Plenty of extracurricular opportunities

Six years ago, Alexa Vogel’s parents were choosing between a coed school and the all-girls environment of St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School, a Reggio Emilia and gifted school in Oakville, Ontario. Now a Grade 12 graduate and head girl, Alexa is confident they made the right decision.

“Personally, I love it,” she says. “The girls aren’t afraid to voice their opinions because they’re not second-guessing or wondering, ‘What will a guy think of this?’”

While the school organizes mixed social events, Alexa also interacts with male peers through extracurricular activities, such as volunteering at a hospital in Africa and studying abroad in Australia. She believes that activities outside of school complement the single-gender environment. “If there are clubs or sports that let girls in all-girls schools engage in coed settings, it makes a big difference,” she says.

Inspired by a “be yourself” environment

Jacqueline Nivet traces her global career back to lessons learned at an all-girls school. Now working with the United Nations World Food Programme, Nivet says her school’s focus on leadership and community service shaped both her character and career path.

“If I had stayed at my old school, I would be a completely different person today,” she reflects. Her all-girls school nurtured her confidence, academic ambition, and sense of belonging. “It changed everything—my love of learning, my leadership, and my friendships,” she says. “I would never have achieved half of what I have without that experience.”

At Hawthorn School for Girls, a Catholic school in Toronto, she served as student council president and co-founded the school’s first student publication. “Those opportunities taught me to lead, serve, and communicate—skills that still guide me today,” says Nivet, who continues to stay close with her former classmates. “We could truly be ourselves without the peer pressure you often hear about in coed schools.”

You can take chances

All-girls classrooms are uniquely designed to nurture confidence. “Research shows that girls thrive in collaborative, communicative learning environments,” says Elizabeth Falco, head of The Study in Westmount, Quebec. “When teachers tailor lessons to that dynamic, confidence blooms.”

At Trafalgar Castle School in Whitby, Ontario, student Amy, 18, agrees. “You can be yourself instead of trying to impress anyone. You can take chances and try new things without fear,” she says. The result? A generation of girls who feel empowered to speak up, explore, and lead.

“We both said, that’s the school!”

For Jenna, 13, finding the right fit happened the moment she visited Trafalgar School for Girls in Montreal. “We came to an open house, and as we were walking out, we both said, ‘That’s the school!’ It felt so homey and welcoming.”

Now in Grade 7, she stays busy with a full slate of activities—sports, drama, choir, and leadership roles. “Some days I get to school at 7:30 and don’t come home until 5:30,” she laughs. “I see my principal more than I see my parents.”

Jenna says what makes her school special is the supportive atmosphere. “At first I thought it would be weird, coming from a coed school, but it’s actually great. Everyone is comfortable being themselves and speaking freely.”

Notable all-girls school alumni

Graduates of girls’ schools include trailblazing women in media, science, politics, and the arts—many of whom credit their education for building confidence and leadership skills. Some notable alumnae include:

• Anne Rohmer, TV host and Branksome Hall graduate
• Dr. Susan Quaggin, Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Branksome Hall graduate
• Jane Lockhart, Interior designer, TV host, and Branksome Hall graduate
• Claudia Dey, Author and playwright, St. Clement’s School graduate
• Karolyn Smardz Frost, Historian, archaeologist, and Governor General’s Award-winning author, St. Mildred’s graduate
• Dr. Carolyn Bennett, Member of Parliament and Havergal College graduate
• Gillian Apps, two-time Olympic gold medalist in women’s hockey and Havergal College graduate
• Emily Murphy, Canada’s first female judge and Bishop Strachan School alumna (read our profile of BSS Principal, Dr. Angela Terpstra)

According to research by the National Association for Choice in Education, 82% of recent all-girls school graduates are satisfied or extremely satisfied with how their schools helped build self-confidence. In addition, 84% rate their schools highly for providing leadership opportunities—further proof that single-gender education helps young women discover their voice and potential.