REVIEW OF Lakefield College School BY parent, Noelle Cajigas

(5) Student Experience

The first thing that comes out is the phenomenal balance between academic, social and extracurricular experiences. Not one of them stands out; all three do, and that has made our kids treasure their overall experience at the school. Exceptional infrastructure that only continues to improve (e.g. extraordinary new fitness room) in a campus surrounded by gorgeous nature. Structure of academic experience by modules concentrated on a small number of courses at each time is noted by our kids as so much better than their prior experience (a long list of courses all throughout the year). The quality of university guidance and application processes is simply out of this world. The knowledge the school has on AI and the learning that, especially our son, who is now at Lakefield, is acquiring in this field, is deeply researched, exquisitely delivered and designed entirely to enhance the students' overall capabilities as individuals and future professionals. Not many educational institutions can claim this.

Why Lakefield College School?

We chose against another boarding school in Canada and one on the East Coast of the US. What took Lakefield to the final shortlist was a combination of true international diversity in its student base without losing its identity as a Canadian institution, and the genuine perception that our kids would be truly happy there, without ever losing sight of the need to stay competitive and strive continuously to make progress. Other schools felt either exclusively focused on happiness or on academic rigour/discipline. Lakefield felt like it had struck the right balance (and we now know we got it right).

Expectations vs. Reality

The school has surpassed all our expectations. When he graduated, our elder son said he felt the two happiest years of his life were behind him. What else can you say?!

Your Advice

The amount and quality of individual, tailor-made attention that students receive at Lakefield is what makes the school truly exceptional in my view. Many educational institutions claim to work to extract and foster the best out of each person. In my experience, this doesn't always land in real life. Lakefield definitely delivered on this promise to our sons. They have both come out better, more empowered, more conscious individuals. If this matters to your family, you should definitely consider Lakefield as a serious option.

(5) School Leadership

Our elder son and a few friends did something they shouldn't have done. We, as parents, were not only informed, but we were also asked to join the meetings in which the school was discussing the situation with them. The process and the resolution felt rigorous, fair, and, especially, transparent to us all. Beyond the discipline point, the leadership of Lakefield is one of the clear factors behind the school's success. They display a highly strategic mindset (how they are bringing AI on board is a clear example), and they connect the school's values (like joy) to the day-to-day running of the school, both academically and in the overall "life" experience. Innovation can be felt everywhere, with examples ranging from the redesign of the learning module structure a few years ago (a clear success in my view) to Northcote, AI, and so many others. Anne Marie and her team are top-level professionals with an exceptional focus on making their mission a success.

(4.5) Teaching

We fully align with the spectacular overall parent satisfaction scores the school obtained in the most recent externally conducted review. The LCS teachers who have taught our kids stand out in terms of displaying genuine interest in kids' learning, particularly when compared to the same age bracket in Spain. One thing that has stood out the most is teachers' willingness to adapt to individual student profiles — an absolute nugget to instill lifelong curiosity and a love of learning. Our kids also value the relationship they have been able to develop with their teachers at Lakefield. Being used to a distant relationship with a more authoritarian teacher figure, they have discovered at Lakefield a close figure that they can rely on and relate to in a way that has made the overall learning experience so much more enjoyable and effective.

(5) Academics

A noteworthy feature is the breadth and flexibility of LCS's high-quality academic offering — both AP and non-AP. Compared to other schools and academic systems we are familiar with, LCS allows students greater control over their goal-aligned learning experiences. Plus, we find it priceless that at Lakefield rigor and ambition go hand in hand with "Joy" being declared one of the school's values. Finally, the method itself, things like the lab experiences and the Harkness tables, the way the modules help distribute content throughout the year, the timetable (long lessons followed by long breaks as opposed to a succession of short lessons), make the learning more effective and enjoyable.

(5) Extracurriculars

Outdoor sports in good weather, winter sports, all with a competition element as well, which makes it more fun. I would highlight the breadth of options, the exceptional infrastructure and coaching that support all of them, and, again, the tailor-made approach. Soccer is our son's passion, and it is not part of the curriculum during winter. The school supported his passion and helped us find how to complement his training during that time of year. We have unfortunately not had much direct experience with all the music and arts side of the offering (because our sons' interests lie elsewhere), but I can't wait for our third child to join the school next year and try it all out. The images of those musicals, concerts and exhibitions show that it must be amazing.

(5) Students

There are four things I would highlight: 1. true international diversity whilst remaining truly Canadian. The school hosts 40+ nationalities. The lifetime friendships our sons have gained from countries they would have never met otherwise will remain one of their most valuable assets for life. 2. The mix of boarding and day students, and the very well-crafted integration of day students into the life of the school houses, ensures that the student body is a sole, integrated, community. 3. The school's endowment and the board's mandate ensure a significant percentage of scholarships, which guarantees true diversity in the student body. 4. The school is small enough, and big enough. It is impossible not to make friends; our kids have felt surrounded by friends since day 2 (the arrival /integration process is well designed to ensure this in any case). All the factors above amount to a wonderful, healthy and fun social atmosphere throughout the year.

(5) School Life

As I mentioned earlier, when our elder son graduated, he said that he thought the best two years in his life were behind him. Our other son has not gone as far yet, but he also rates his current life at Lakefield very highly, certainly superior to the one he had before. I think it is a combination of many factors, and again, the fact that there is such a strong balance across all dimensions of school life. The first and foremost is the very well-designed and executed learning experience (and this is the hardest, frankly, because studying is hard work, so getting kids to flow through their academic life is by no means guaranteed). Then there is the social atmosphere, the superb student body and everything that the school does to ensure a constant diversity of activities which are fun as well as valuable (including activities connected to extracurriculars but not only). Finally, it is the practical aspects: very good food, very good housing, excellent sports and arts facilities, lots of logistical support for everything (like transport outside the school when required). Attention to well-being is constant without being intrusive, and there is always innovation on this front too (like with the new fitness room, for example). We feel the school is generally ahead of our kids' needs.

(4) Community

Our sons have been boarders, we live overseas and can't join hardly any of the parent events. We have given feedback to the school that more virtual connections would be desirable for parents in our situation, and we know they have taken note. The communication is constant. From the newsletters to the IG posts, to the direct access to the school's management, faculty, heads of house, etc., we feel like we have an excellent relationship with the school. We don't just feel welcome, we feel listened to in a way that only happens when all parties understand we are in a true partnership. And when we have been at the school in person, we have been treated as if they had nothing else to do but welcome us. By the way, the graduation ceremony in year 12 is the ultimate display of this connection, a beautiful ceremony that wraps up the school/family relationship in an utterly memorable way.

(4) School Location

The school is within walking distance to a very small town, Lakefield, and a 25-minute cab ride to Peterborough. The kids are allowed to go to both under highly regulated times and protocols for security. But it is a good thing, because even though the campus is amazing, you want to get out from time to time. There are also trips organized to Toronto and to other places from time to time, so I would definitely not qualify the Lakefield experience as an island-like one. Proximity to these towns also ensures a good representation of day students, who are critical to making the student body and the overall community what it is.

(5) Admissions

The dedication and quality of the professionals in the admissions area are phenomenal, too. This is, in fact, the most remarkable thing in the school, whether you are talking about top management, teachers, administrative staff, admissions, or university guidance... There is always a specialist, highly skilled professional on the other side. The admission process is thorough and long, like it is for all competitive schools, but the feeling that someone is walking you through it and advising you throughout it makes it all a lot easier.

(5) University placement and counselling

If the school is rated 10 across all fields in my view... this field should command an 11 rating. The depth of detailed knowledge that the school has in this matter was a complete surprise to us. Because you could have depth in, say, the US system, or the UK system, or the Canadian system... but the depth the LCS team owns is in EVERY alternative, it is quite exceptional. And, in hindsight, this is critical because it is only then that the advice and support can be top-notch regardless of where one particular kid is headed. The other very remarkable quality of the school in this sense is that the availability of time from the dedicated team per kid is very significant. We often feel like they are working for us only... which clearly cannot be the case.