St. Andrew's College Reviews

The program at St. Andrew’s has long been distinguished by a high rate of success, with the list of notable alums providing an abbreviated who’s who of Canadian arts, leaders, politics, and entrepreneurship. While Dr. Bruce Macdonald left the headmastership in 1935, the culture of the school, even today, remains very much an expression of his vision. This is in part due to the fact that, in a lot of ways, he was well ahead of his time. For example, he was the first boys-school headmaster in Canada to hire a female instructor, something he did in 1905. Macdonald wanted the school to develop “the complete man, the well-rounded citizen”—athletics and arts, in addition to academics, were vigorously promoted. What’s interesting is that, even with those sorts of progressive ideals, Macdonald was also keen on tradition, which gave students a sense of being part of something bigger than themselves. While there are a few schools that retain their cadet corps, St. Andrew’s is the one that has retained it entirely intact, with military ranks, pipes and drums, kilts, and sporrans all firmly still in place. St. Andrew's completed a substantial capital campaign in 2015 that included the creation of athletics facilities as well as the Wirth Theatre. All of that, as well as all the development over the century of the school’s life, has created a school that is strikingly modern while retaining a sense of participation in tradition. It’s a nice mix. The ideal student is one given to making the most of the varied programs on offer.