Liberal arts schools in Canada share with traditional schools an emphasis on core knowledge acquisition but tend to borrow more best practices from the progressive approach. A liberal arts program might still feature group work and projects, for example, contrary to the more singular emphasis on tests and essays at a traditional program. Read more
Toronto, Ontario — Our goal is for SCS students to understand learning as an outcome in and of itself. Learning that doesn't follow a straight path. And if it gets messy, that's okay, because at SCS it's safe to explore and be who you are. View School Profile. Our goal is for SCS students to understand learning as an outcome in and of itself. Learning that doesn't follow a straight path. And if it gets messy, that's okay, because at SCS it's safe to explore and be who you are.
Grades:
1 to 12 (Girls)
Type:
Liberal Arts
Tuition:
$34,500
Living:
Day
Enrollment:
460
Avg. Class:
16
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Oakville, Ontario — Appleby College in Oakville is recognized globally as one of Canada's leading independent schools. Breadth, excellence, innovation and caring are the characteristics that define the essence of the Appleby experience. View School Profile. Appleby College in Oakville is recognized globally as one of Canada's leading independent schools. Breadth, excellence, innovation and caring are the characteristics that define the essence of the Appleby experience.
Grades:
7 to 12 (Coed)
Type:
Liberal Arts
Tuition:
$41,030 to $81,870
Living:
Boarding/Day
Enrollment:
785
Avg. Class:
12 to 16
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Maple, Ontario — Balanced Academics, Arts, Athletics & Student Wellness. We value best practices & evidence-based approaches. University preparatory & 21st Century Tech-Rich & Future Proof school. Enriched and rigorous curriculum. View School Profile. Balanced Academics, Arts, Athletics & Student Wellness. We value best practices & evidence-based approaches. University preparatory & 21st Century Tech-Rich & Future Proof school. Enriched and rigorous curriculum.
Grades:
PS to 12 (Coed)
Type:
Liberal Arts, International Baccalaureate
Tuition:
$16,700 to $20,700
Living:
Day
Enrollment:
200
Avg. Class:
16 to 18
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Toronto, Ontario — Located in the heart of Toronto, UCC provides transformational learning experiences with exceptional day and boarding programs. Our highly sought-after graduates are awarded International Baccalaureate and OSSD diplomas. View School Profile. Located in the heart of Toronto, UCC provides transformational learning experiences with exceptional day and boarding programs. Our highly sought-after graduates are awarded International Baccalaureate and OSSD diplomas.
Grades:
SK to 12 (Boys)
Type:
Liberal Arts, International Baccalaureate
Tuition:
$36,750 to $71,875
Living:
Boarding/Day
Enrollment:
1200
Avg. Class:
20 to 25
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Toronto, Ontario — Branksome Hall is Toronto’s only all-girls, all-years International Baccalaureate (IB) World School developing the leaders of tomorrow through the nurturing of curiosity and critical thinking at every age. View School Profile. Branksome Hall is Toronto’s only all-girls, all-years International Baccalaureate (IB) World School developing the leaders of tomorrow through the nurturing of curiosity and critical thinking at every age.
Grades:
JK to 12 (Girls)
Type:
Liberal Arts, International Baccalaureate
Tuition:
$37,130 to $75,020
Living:
Boarding/Day
Enrollment:
960
Avg. Class:
16 to 22
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Toronto, Ontario — Havergal has been preparing young women to make a difference since 1894 through its innovative curriculum and future-ready programming with a focus on wellness and student agency. View School Profile. Havergal has been preparing young women to make a difference since 1894 through its innovative curriculum and future-ready programming with a focus on wellness and student agency.
Grades:
JK to 12 (Girls)
Type:
Liberal Arts
Tuition:
$36,950 to $68,540
Living:
Boarding/Day
Enrollment:
1000
Avg. Class:
18 to 22
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Toronto, Ontario — Bond Academy is a private, co-educational, non-denominational independent school with students from Montessori Casa to Grade 12. Our educational process is Beyond the Books! Education as it should be. View School Profile. Bond Academy is a private, co-educational, non-denominational independent school with students from Montessori Casa to Grade 12. Our educational process is Beyond the Books! Education as it should be.
Grades:
PS to 12 (Coed)
Type:
Liberal Arts
Tuition:
$7,000 to $16,000
Living:
Day
Enrollment:
350
Avg. Class:
10 to 15
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Lakefield, Ontario — Focussed on Community First, Outdoors Every Day, and Authentic Learning, LCS offers a world-class, individualized, day/boarding program (Grades 9 -12) designed for students to be leaders who care, connect and contribute. View School Profile. Focussed on Community First, Outdoors Every Day, and Authentic Learning, LCS offers a world-class, individualized, day/boarding program (Grades 9 -12) designed for students to be leaders who care, connect and contribute.
Grades:
9 to 12 (Coed)
Type:
Liberal Arts
Tuition:
$38,600 to $79,200
Living:
Boarding/Day
Enrollment:
425
Avg. Class:
15
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featured
Blyth Academy Lawrence Park is one of nine Blyth Academy campuses in Ontario. Our campus located in midtown Toronto provides the warmth and community of a neighbourhood school.
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featured
Blyth Academy The Glebe focuses on personalized education, small class sizes, and strong student support for Grades 9-12. Big experience in a small school! Part of community of nine Blyth Academy campuses in Ontario.
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featured
Learning is not one to many. It's many to one. From the teachers to the principal to the coaches and beyond, learning at WillowWood is a team approach.
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We value partnership with parents, creating a genuinely warm and friendly community. We raise the academic bar on academic excellence, and expectations of character, helping the boys become the best that they can be.
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La Citadelle's Excellence in Bilingual Education and academically advanced curriculum develop successful global citizens through IB & AP programs and a holistic approach where students achieve their highest potential.
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featured
Hawthorn School is located in Toronto. We offer a co-ed toddler-SK program and an all girls program for grade 1- grade 12. Our unique mentoring program is tailored to help students reach their full potential.
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featured
Stratford Hall takes learning beyond IB with its IDEA Lab, OEE and partner schools, where students strive to develop harmony between the urban and natural world through activities like camping, music, and orienteering.
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featured
Stratford, Ontario, Private Secondary School dedicated to inspiring students to achieve their individual potential through academic excellence while fostering a spirit of service to society.
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featured
Our unique, daily Advisor Program ensures every student is surrounded by a strong network of highly qualified, dedicated faculty and staff whose mission is to provide academic, emotional, and social guidance and support.
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featured
TFS - Canada's International School offers an exceptional bilingual education from age 2 to Grade 12. Average class size is 12 to 22 students. Entrance Scholarship to Grade 7 is available.
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Students receive an excellent education which prepares them well for university, college and a wide variety of workplaces.
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Emmanuel Christian School offers an Elementary and High School bilingual program. Our caring Christ-centered environment enables students to thrive and excel academically and spiritually through a variety of programs.
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Blyth Academy Downsview Park offers outstanding education coupled with unique opportunities for student-athletes to engage in sports-specific and fitness training throughout their regular school day.
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University of Toronto Schools (UTS) offers a transformative education to high-achieving students in Grades 7 to 12 from all backgrounds. UTS graduates take initiative and innovate as socially responsible global citizens.
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Trafalgar Castle offers a close-knit, academically challenging environment where girls feel a strong sense of belonging and discover their unique talents and interests.
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De La Salle College is a Catholic, co-educational, university preparatory school in Toronto from Grade 5 to 12, with an average class size of 20 students and tuition at $16,300 - $16,900.
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Brentwood is a leading university prep school that brings to life student choice through its bold tripartite program. We are a true boarding school, not merely a school with boarding, and the ocean is our playground.
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Since 1964, SSS Rome has provided International Boarding and Day Students with a culturally inspiring and rigorous academic IB education in the heart of Ancient Rome.
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Luther College High School values excellence in teaching and cares for our students as individuals in our tight-knit community. Our focus in on the whole student - social, emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual.
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Grade 9-12 students are encouraged to be confident servant-leaders. Student diversity provides a global perspective of life and faith. Great Lakes' graduates are accepted by colleges and universities of their choice.
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Our four year program is developed to equip and inspire students to cultivate their humanity. We are distinctly different: a small IB middle school that fosters intellectual engagement, citizenship and leadership.
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Ottawa Christian School is an independent Christian day school, educating children from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 for a life of faithful Christian discipleship and service.
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SJR is the world’s leading school in Debating and Public Speaking. It has produced 18 Rhodes scholars and 3 math olympiads. 98% of SJR graduates are accepted to their first choice university program.
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Lower Canada College is a gender-inclusive, K-12 university preparatory school, committed to excellence in teaching and learning. It is the only high school in Quebec offering both the IB MYP and DP.
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In a welcoming environment , HFAS assists our exceptional learners to reach their potential and to succeed. We focus on personal responsibility, initiative, independence, organization, self-regulation and time management
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At Vaughan College instructions are embedded with strategies appropriate to the students' unique needs. We develop students' confidence and their urge to do better, which results in a high university acceptance rate.
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Canada’s only independent, Catholic school for boys in Grades 7-12, taught in the Basilian tradition of forming the mind, body, and soul. Since 1852, we have educated students in goodness, discipline, and knowledge.
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March Academy offers an alternative program for students in grades 1 through 8. Small classes with enriching academics as well as weekly lessons in music, the arts, nature, yoga, taekwondo, and daily physical education.
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Each student is unique. Why be just a number when you can be valued for who you are? We enfold, engage and empower every student in a safe, friendly, and supportive learning community. It's where you belong!
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Carmel New Church School provides a loving, peaceful place with indoor and outdoor classrooms where students are taught to become productive and caring people, both in this life and the next.
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Heschel provides a progressive, academically innovative, interdisciplinary Jewish education in a warm, nurturing environment. Students develop habits of mind, body, heart and soul that enable them to make a difference.
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Our rigorous, personalized programme and strong teacher-student relationships enable us to cultivate each student's talents, helping them build on strengths and discover the joy of learning.
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Cornerstone students love to shape the future. They INSPIRE learning, DISCOVER their potential, EMPOWER themselves to be innovative citizens. Our boundless learning strategies open doors for successful learning.
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The close-knit community at Star delivers on Learn to Love to Learn™ with project-based, cross-curricular and experiential learning. Our Five Pillars of Child Development guide learning experiences for students in K-8.
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Sycamore School offers grades 8-12 personalized education in an alternative program that addresses the needs of secondary school students who may thrive in a small community of learners while working toward graduation.
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At Blyth Academy Mississauga, we know each of our students and through our individualized approach, we can meet their needs and make school a great place to be. We're one of 10 Blyth Academy campuses in Ontario.
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TFS - Canada's International School (West Campus) offers the Ontario, France and IB programs from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 7 in Mississauga.
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Founded in 1997, the Abelard School is a small independent school for grades 7 through 12, located in downtown Toronto. It offers small class sizes and an enriched, integrated curriculum to bright, motivated students.
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However, whereas the progressive approach tends to prioritize instrumental knowledge—knowledge that can be “used”—liberal arts private schools place more emphasis on theoretical and academic learning. At the heart of the liberal arts approach is the premise that humans are rational beings and that cultivating the intellect is not only a sufficient goal in and of itself but is the goal.
The best private liberal arts schools emphasize deep engagement with humanity’s loftiest and most enduring ideas (artistic, scientific, philosophical, and mathematical). Attaining this cultural literacy—no matter the teaching method or pathway—is a key aim of the approach.
Is there a ranking of liberal arts schools in Canada? In short, no. And there shouldn't be.
At Our Kids, we don't think these kinds of rankings are useful. There's simply no such thing as the best school: for instance, the best liberal arts, Montessori, special needs, or Waldorf school. Schools can't be ranked or rated #1, 2, 3, etc. overall.
Instead, when choosing a school, it's best to think in terms of fit. Is this school the right fit for my child? Does it meet their learning, social, and emotional needs? Is it a place they can thrive and grow in? While this will partly depend on the school, it will also depend on your child and their unique characteristics. Are they academically motivated? What are their areas of interest? Are they outgoing or more introverted? Do they have any special needs? These are some of child-focused questions you'll need to reflect on trying to find their best-fit school.
One way rankings can be useful is in terms of very specific criteria. For instance, what are the oldest schools? Which have the smallest class sizes? Which have the lowest acceptance rates? Which have the most notable alumni? Our rankings of schools through specific criteria may be helpful for you in your school search.
What does a private liberal arts education mean to you?
What is your liberal arts education program?
What does your curriculum look like?
How much do you focus on the humanities, science, critical thinking, and the classics?
Is a liberal arts education offered for all levels (including elementary school)?
What is your overall educational approach?
Do you focus much on character development?
What does your typical student look like?
Trinity College School’s financial assistance program [Read more]
The progressive Kindergarten program at Hudson College [Read more]
Manitoba private schools
Find a list of private schools in Manitoba here (December 16, 2022)
Saskatchewan private schools
Find a list of private schools in Saskatchewan here (December 16, 2022)
Saskatoon private schools
Find a list of private schools in Saskatoon here (December 16, 2022)
Online schools and distance learning
Schools that are fully online versus schools that offer part-time online learning (December 14, 2022)
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme
What the IB Programme is and what it offers (December 14, 2022)
