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Go to child profileBy using a differentiated approach to learning, Kells Academy supports students in reaching their full potential. In three separate campuses, Kells offers small classes with a focus on student engagement and high achievement, excellent academic, arts and sports programs, as well as a wide variety of extracurricular activities and clubs. Kells enjoys a close to 100% graduation rate, high acceptance in all disciplines in CEGEP and university, is co-ed, and students do not need a Certificate of Eligibility to attend.
What learning looks like now: Education has never been so important. Its power to inform, keep us safe and connect us as a community is central to our day-to-day lives. So is the privilege of having the leadership and support of a caring and effective teacher. As an established e-learning pioneer, Kells Academy was grateful to have the capacity to meet the needs of today’s challenging landscape. When COVID-19 sent schools across the globe scrambling to adapt, Kells was always there, without missing a beat, to ensure that the learning continued online for their students and to provide the comfort and care that can only come from consistency and live interactions with friends and teachers. Thanks to the creativity of our dedicated staff and the support of our families, at Kells Academy, meeting our students' changing needs is what we do.
Curriculum delivery:
Living Arrangement | Grades | Delivery Model | Frequency |
---|---|---|---|
Day | Gr. 2 - Gr. 12 | Hybrid/blended | Full-time |
Can boarders live on-campus? No
What Kells Academy says: Students are grouped into homeroom classes. They will stay in their homeroom class throughout the day. Classes will be held on campus and live-streamed via Zoom for students abroad, quarantining or at home for medical reasons.
View recent COVID-19 updates from Kells AcademyAdditional notes: Kells Academy does not have its own bus service, however there are two private bus services available to families in the Montreal/NDG/Westmount areas as well as the West Island.
Elementary - Small group instruction
Computer Lab
Middle School
Common Room
Common Room
Bedroom
Ping pong
Irene Woods began her career as an educator within the public system, and while there noted that often the after-school tutorial sessions were more productive, and more time efficient, than the teaching done in the classroom. The obvious question—at least it was obvious to her—was, why don’t we just teach this way all the time? Which, in time, is exactly what she did, applying the tutorial model—small group, student-led instruction—to the entire curriculum. Kells was founded in 1978, and Woods has been an instructor and director there ever since. Those aspects of the tutorial model—individual attention, and a creative approach to instruction—are what continue to define the program today. The school has grown considerably over the years, including the creation of a boarding program, though the division between the elementary and high school programs helps to keep the focus small-group instruction.
Focus |
---|
Academic |
DIBELS Testing: This school periodically uses 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 |
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
Curriculum delivery: Acceleration and enrichment (There is an equal emphasis on acceleration and enrichment.)
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) |
In grade Gr. 12, Kells Academy students perform an average of >2 hours of homework per night.
K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kells Academy | 15 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins | 45 mins | 45 mins | 60 mins | 60 mins | 60 mins | 60 mins | 90 mins | 120 mins | 120 mins | 160 mins |
Site Average | 6 mins | 15 mins | 17 mins | 23 mins | 29 mins | 34 mins | 40 mins | 51 mins | 56 mins | 69 mins | 80 mins | 98 mins | 107 mins |
This school frequently "flips the classroom": asks students to learn material at home and do the "homework" in-class (with teacher support).
Lettered or numbered grades | K to Gr. 11 |
Prose (narrative)-based feedback | K to Gr. 11 |
Academic achievement reporting | K to Gr. 11 |
Parent-teacher meetings | K to Gr. 11 |
Competitive sports: 6
Recreational sports: 6
Kells Academy offers 13 clubs and extracurricular programs.
K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
Day (Domestic) | $17,300 | ||||||||||||
Day (International) | $17,300 | ||||||||||||
Boarding (International) | $35,800 |
Discounts
Discount Type | Enrolment Type | Amount |
---|---|---|
2nd child (sibling) | all students | 10% |
3rd child (sibling) | all students | 15% |
4th child (sibling) | all students | 20% |
Grades | Gender | Living Arrangement | Enrolment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Group 1 | K to Gr. 12 | Coed | Day | 400 |
Group 2 | Gr. 7 to Gr. 12 | Coed | Boarding | 40 |
Group 3 | Gr. 7 to Gr. 12 | Coed | Homestay | 30 |
Total enrolment | 470 |
Average class size | Varies |
% of international students (total enrolment) | 50% |
Number of different nationalities within student population | 46 |
Five-day boarding program offered | Yes |
% in boarding (grade-eligible) | 10% |
K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Enrollment | N/A | 3 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 32 | 25 | 29 | 37 | 80 | 102 | 10 |
Boarding Enrollment | 1 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 12 | N/A | |||||||
Homestay Enrollment | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||
Class Size | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
Assessment | Required | Grades |
---|---|---|
Interview | K - 11 | |
SSAT | ||
SSAT (out of province) | ||
Entrance Exam(s) | K - 11 | |
Entrance Essay | ||
English Language Eligibility Certificate |
Day students: Rolling
Boarding students: Rolling
Homestay students: Rolling
Offer mid-year entry:
Yes
Application fee: $50
Registration fee: $200
Deposit:
N/A
Completed Application Form with application fee ($50, non-refundable), report cards from the current academic year and previous school year, photocopy of educational assessment if applicable, school reference letter by teacher or principal, photocopy of birth certificate and immunization records along with a passport size photograph and MEES Achievement Record (Quebec Grades 10 and 11 only). Once the application package is complete and submitted to the school, an appointment for an interview will be arranged by the Admissions coordinator. Placement testing and a class visit will also be scheduled for your child. Tours of the school are given throughout the year, by appointment. Please feel free to call us to arrange a visit. A Certificate of Eligibility is not required.
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 | K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 15 - 30 (90%) | 15 - 30 (90%) | 15 - 30 (90%) | 15 - 30 (90%) | 15 - 30 (90%) | 15 - 30 (90%) | 15 - 30 (90%) | 15 - 30 (95%) | 15 - 30 (95%) | 15 - 20 (90%) | 15 - 20 (95%) | 15 - 20 (90%) | 15 - 20 (90%) |
Boarding Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 1 - 2 (95%) | 1 - 3 (95%) | 1 - 5 (95%) | 1 - 5 (95%) | 5 - 10 (90%) | 5 - 10 (95%) | 5 - 10 (90%) | 10 - 15 (90%) | |||||
Homestay Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Average graduating class size | 90 |
Students accepted into post-secondary studies upon graduation | 95% |
Percentage of students who attend post-secondary institutions outside of Canada | 5% |
Students who attended a Ivy+ school Number of students in the past 5 years that that attended one of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, University of Chicago, Oxford or Cambridge (UK) | N/A |
Concordia University | 60% |
Kells Academy Graduates’ Post-Secondary Studies:
This information is not currently available.Aggregate of All Schools’ Post-Secondary Studies:
Career planning | N/A |
Internships | N/A |
Mentorship Program | N/A |
University counseling |
Alumnus | Grad Year | Accomplishment |
---|---|---|
Haya Aziz | 2010 | Haya came to Kells in Grade 8 and was one of our Valedictorians (we had two that year). She is now thriving in Medicine at McGill University. |
Jean Pierre Falet | 2010 | After having been at Kells for 5 years, JP was our second Valedictorian of the Class of 2010. He is also studying Medicine at McGill University. |
Nour Khatib | 2003 | MD, CM: Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery McGill University and Resident doctor at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, Ontario. |
Mandana Moosavi | 2002 | Mandana graduated in Medicine from McGill University. Currently: Endicronology Fellow at Vancouver Coastal Health. |
Fangzhou Bian | 2006 | Associate Lawyer at Couzin Taylor LLP, allied with EY. |
Mo Yu (Lanny) Li | 2008 | Lanny graduated from McGill University in Medecine and is now studying as a resident doctor in General Surgery in Alberta. |
Hani Abdul Baki | 2006 | Hani graduated from McGill University and is now working as an investment banking analyst in New York City. |
Working as an educator in the public sector, I found that devoting time to after-school tutorials was a most positive and enriching experience for my students. I was consistently impressed at what students were able to learn and accomplish in a few short tutoring sessions, in comparison to the hours spent trying to master the same material in the classroom. This led me to consider a practical application of the tutorial model in a classroom setting, and resulted in the 1978 establishment of a unique tutorial service: the Westmount Learning Centre; and ultimately, to the foundation of Kells Academy.
To recreate the one-on-one tutorial experience we committed to small classes, in a warm, welcoming environment, and engaging the participation of supportive and enthusiastic teachers. Using this model we were able to make learning more interesting, meaningful, and relevant, and most importantly, teach at the individual pace of each student— attributes we maintain and adhere to, to this very day.
In 1990, Kells Academy acquired its own building in NDG at the corner of De Maisonneuve Boulevard West and Park Row West. Further expansion took place in 2004 with acquisition of the Hydro Quebec building situated on Cavendish Boulevard corner of De Maisonneuve, and now, our thriving elementary campus under the direction of Marla Perlman.
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