Gain exclusive insight into life at Junior Academy from our carefully curated video and written reviews, including roundtable Q&As, that deliver in-depth insider info from parents, alumni and students.
Our Perspective on Junior Academy
Dianne Johnson founded the Junior Academy in 1988 in the belief that small is better, and indeed the school has remained small, with an annual enrolment of just 100 students. Johnson lead the school for most of its life, lending a continuity to the program and keeping the focus clearly on the quality of the students' learning experience, and maintaining, above all, an atmosphere of care and support. While not all students arrive from the immediate area, the school prizes its position within the community, and encourages active parental involvement within the life of the school.
Video reviews
Get crucial behind-the-scenes information about Junior Academy from video interviews with probing questions that we recorded live with parents, current students, and recent alumni.
Watch our Junior Academy Q&A discussion with Andrea Charleton (Parent) to gain fresh insight into the school’s culture, values, and strengths.
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Written reviews
Dive deeply into the real culture of Junior Academy with reviews we’ve structured to highlight only the most valuable insights and opinions submitted by parents, students, and alumni.
Junior academy has been life changing for our family. My son needs academic and behavioral supp...
The school's administrative and academic leadership are outstanding. Matt and Nick Johnston are the admin leaders and are so helpful and responsive. Prompt and closed communication loops that really make life go smoother.
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The caliber of teaching for the academic and homeroom classes is excellent. They are skilled at communication, adaptive teaching and managing different levels of regulation and academics! The school is flexible and small enou...
Junior Academy has the ability to meet the child where they are academically- below, at or above grade level. They can help catch up or provide extra stimulation/academics for kids who need it. They have the ability to place t...
Prior to COVID there were many lunch and after-hour clubs and activities. There was a soccer team and running club. Junior academy has an amazing full-size gym and my son has loved playing badminton and other sports. Sports ar...
My son has 12 kids in his homeroom class. Some of his other classes are smaller - for example, math has approximately 6 kids. The size is enough for him to find great friendships among his classmates. There is a large enough g...
Junior Academy is a school where the staff, leadership and teachers meet the child where they are and not at some prescribed level of academics or development. This school has been so helpful and supportive to us. COVID was a ...
Prior to the COVID pandemic, there were multiple opportunities to meet parents and the broader school community. Interesting speakers and on-topic film screenings. Parent cocktail meet and greet events. Fun Fair and concerts. ...
The best part of the location is that they can wander into the ravine for their outdoor education. We travel far for this school but it is worth it. The kids don’t venture off the school property unless involved in school e...
My son spent 2 1/2 days getting to know the school/ his peers and really felt like part of the decision-making process. He even entered the first year there with a friend he had met during those days. He felt much better knowi...
Our children sincerely enjoy authentic relationships with every adult in the building, feel kno...
We have consistently found the administration to be pragmatic and responsive.
The deliberate design of a consistent daily schedule which provides for differentiation and calm - along with a school calendar that is not overloa...
As parents, we were not interested in having our children attend a school that might be described as a "hothouse". We decided that a sound focus on literacy, numeracy, and character development were our priorities for their el...
Although Junior Academy has addressed the turnover of their French teachers a few years ago, that has proven to have an unfortunate impact on one of our children, in particular.
They follow the Jump Math program, which has p...
Our family has deliberately chosen to avoid over-programming, so the availability of a variety of after-school clubs as well as a handful of school athletics teams more than met our needs.
The school makes excellent use of th...
Given its uniquely small population, Junior Academy is an authentic community.
Each class size is limited to 14 students, and some classes are for as few as 5 students.
From their very first week in Grade 1, our children de...
Neither of our children, even after those inevitably tricky chapters which unfold, has ever dreamed of going to school. They have always felt welcomed, never shamed for mistakes they have made.
Bullying is addressed promptly ...
From the very first event we attended with other parents, it become clear that everyone had chosen the school for their children for authentic reasons: they, too, value the small community, the commitment to differentiated lea...
Junior Academy regularly makes use of the green space belonging to the Canadian Film Centre on the other side of Bayview Avenue for both their Outdoor Education classes as well as special school events, such as the Winter Carn...
My daughter has had a tremendous experience at JA for 9 years. She is engaged in the classrooms...
I have seen the school evolve through being at JA for 9 years. I would have to say it is the best it has ever been! These later years with the current principal and management team and amazing teachers, I feel that issues are ...
The teachers at JA are outstanding. They are engaging, kind, compassionate, caring and energetic. They are gifted in creating ways to tailor the work to your child and keep them engaged throughout the topics. Even during lockd...
JA takes academics and the success of your child seriously. My daughter requires an IEP and they worked very hard to make it detailed, accurate and realistic in order to achieve success. Again the teachers are amazing here and...
The school offers extracurriculars after school the children can pay to attend- these are often interesting and fun for the students. They also offer a variety of clubs over lunch/recess that the children can join such as choi...
The student body at JA is nice. It seems to be that all the students are supportive and get along with each other. In the earlier days, my daughter was experiencing some bullying, but the school stepped in and made changes. Th...
My daughter loves going to school every day at JA. There was a time in the younger years when she didn't and the management team sorted it out. They rearranged her classroom and teachers and all worked together to provide the ...
The school hosts grade parents evenings, parent gatherings at each holiday concert, as well as school BBQs a few times a year so it is very nice for the parents to socialize and get to know each other. They put in a lot of eff...
For us, the location is great. It is easy access on Bayview without any side streets to navigate through. In all weather conditions, it is fine. The benefit for the kids is the proximity to the outdoor space across the street ...
