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Go to child profileTrafalgar Castle School, an all-girls, independent day and boarding school for grades 4 through 12. Located in Whitby, Ontario, we’ve been educating girls since 1874 within a warm and progressive community that offers exceptional academics and prepares young women to make a difference in the world.
It really is a castle, and the interiors are as striking as the exterior: turrets, arches, wood and stone. The school is also genuinely old, having been founded in 1874, though the building pre-dates the school. Yet, as ever, appearances can be deceiving, or at least can risk being made too much of. Trafalgar administration has, throughout its long history, consistently revised the curriculum and programs with an intention of providing, in a very literal sense, the best the world has to offer. That includes the adoption of the Singapore math and science curricula; Mandarin instruction; and writing instruction based on the program developed at the University of Chicago. A dedication to real-world learning has been built into the curriculum formally through the Beyond the Classroom initiative, which makes use of local resources and expertise, guided by the students' personal curiosities. Trafalgar offers an up-to-date, creative, and intentional program for girls preparing for university.
What does learning at Trafalgar Castle School look like now?
Trafalgar Castle School has supported the learning of girls and young women for 147 years. It has supported its community through difficult times in the past and will continue to do so today and into the future. Our academic program quickly transitioned to a distance learning model once school closures were announced. Launched on March 26, our Distance Learning Plan has ensured continuous, uninterrupted learning for our students throughout the COVID-19 crisis and associated school closures. Offering synchronous and asynchronous learning aimed at keeping students connected and engaged during these exceptional times, our Distance Learning: Establishes regular daily routines; Continues learning in alternate ways; Maintains connection with teachers and classmates; Establishes a sense of shared community; and Helps students feel supported during periods of possible stress. Our staff will continue to work remotely to serve our students and families through to the end of the 2019-2020 Academic Year with plans for our September start up already in place. Prospective families are encouraged to visit our website at trafalgarcastle.ca or email us at [email protected] to arrange a meeting. We look forward to connecting with you soon.Additional notes: We offer daily busing shuttle transportation to and from the Whitby GO Station for students travelling to school on the GO train.
Gallery showcasing school life and general photos of Trafalgar Castle School.
Volleyball
Gym
Field Sports
Arts
Arts
Castle
Castle exterior
Castle grounds
Classroom
Classroom
Collaborative Classroom
Boarding Room
Science
Robotics
Resources
Resources
Common Room
Loggia
Reading Room
Gallery showcasing specific locations and facilities found at Trafalgar Castle School.
| Focus |
|---|
| Academic |
DIBELS Testing: This school does not use 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 |
Trafalgar Castle offers no/limited support for students with learning difficulties or special needs.
| 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
| Program | offered |
|---|---|
| Full-time gifted program (parallel to rest of school) | |
| Part-time gifted program (pull-out; parallel to rest of class) |
Curriculum delivery: Enrichment (The main focus is on enrichment. This means that while students may work at a marginally quicker pace than public school peers, the primary aim is to study subject in broader and deeper ways.)
| 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) |
Competitive sports: 12
Recreational sports: 4
Trafalgar Castle School offers 16 clubs and extracurricular programs.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
| Boarding (Domestic - 5 days/week) | $54,570 | ||||||||
| Day | $24,270 | $24,975 | $27,805 | ||||||
| Boarding (Domestic) | $59,970 | ||||||||
| Boarding (International) | $65,615 | ||||||||
Discounts
| Discount Type | Enrolment Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd child (sibling) | all students | 10% |
| 3rd child (sibling) | all students | 10% |
| 4th child (sibling) | all students | 10% |
| Grade range that need-based aid is offered: | 4 to 12 |
| Percentage of grade-eligible students receiving financial aid | 0% |
| Average aid package size | $0 |
| Percentage of total enrolment on financial aid | 10% |
| Total aid available | $0 |
This school works with Apple Financial Inc. for processing financial applications
• Completed online application form;
• Final report cards for the past two years;
• A confidential teacher recommendation; and
• Application fee.
The student’s application package is then assessed, and eligible candidates are invited in for an interview and an assessment. At this point, if the student is a successful candidate, an official letter of acceptance will be offered.
| Grades | Gender | Living Arrangement | Enrolment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Gr. 4 to Gr. 12 | All girls | Day | 150 |
| Group 2 | Gr. 7 to Gr. 12 | All girls | Boarding | 80 |
| Total enrolment | 230 |
| Average class size | 12 |
| % of international students (total enrolment) | 31% |
| Number of different nationalities within student population | 11 |
| Five-day boarding program offered | Yes |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Enrollment | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Boarding Enrollment | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Assessment | Required | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Interview | 4 - 12 | |
| SSAT | ||
| SSAT (out of province) | ||
| Entrance Exam(s) | 4 - 9 | |
| Entrance Essay |
Day students: Rolling
Boarding students: Rolling
Offer mid-year entry: Yes
Application fee: $0
Registration fee: $2,500
Deposit: N/A
Trafalgar Castle School operates on a rolling admissions process however spaces fill early. Prospective students are required to submit the following components as part of the application process:
Day students are also encouraged to spend a day with us to experience first-hand the possibilities of a Trafalgar Castle School education.
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 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Boarding Acceptance (Acceptance rate) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Average graduating class size | 35 |
| Students accepted into post-secondary studies upon graduation | 100% |
| Percentage of students who attend post-secondary institutions outside of Canada | 1% |
| 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 |
| University of Toronto | 32% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Queen's University | 10% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western University | 10% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ryerson University | 8% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trent University | 8% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Trafalgar Castle School Graduates’ Post-Secondary Studies:
Aggregate of All Schools’ Post-Secondary Studies:
| Career planning | |
| Internships |
| Mentorship Program | N/A |
| University counseling |
What Trafalgar Castle says:
Welcome from the Head of School
For a start, there is no other all-girls day and boarding school like us in Canada. We have been at the forefront of girls’ education for almost 150 years. At 240 students from Grade 4 to Grade 12, we are small by design. That means every girl is recognized and honoured for the individual she is. We believe the best entry point to a large and complex world is a warm and personal learning environment with ample opportunities for personal discovery and growth.
You want your daughter to be known and cared for while she pursues her dream to design a zero-emission engine, work in international medicine, write young adult fiction, or whatever other aspiration she holds in her heart. And because she is an individual with unique talents and passions, you know she will flourish within a small, welcoming community that offers an exceptional education and provides for her personal growth.
Sometimes we say, “there’s no such thing as a Trafalgar girl,” because so many different girls of diverse backgrounds and interests thrive here. But we also know exactly what a Trafalgar girl is: engaged in her learning, interested in her world and making a difference in her community. Not all girls arrive that way, but our responsive educational environment ensures that she will feel known by her teachers, supported by her classmates and energized with a sense of belonging. Most of all, she will discover the power of her own voice here.
Trafalgar Castle offers an all-girls education that unites tradition with innovation. We care deeply about how girls learn and offer the experiences they need to build critical thinking, creativity, confidence and leadership. Today’s young women are entering a fast-changing world that demands much of them. The Trafalgar experience prepares them to live with purpose and lead with conviction wherever their future takes them.
Our graduates are ready for the world. They leave the Castle with the confidence and vision they need to live lives of consequence and courage. And they join a network of talented and generous alumnae around the world who embrace them warmly and guide them wisely.
Each year, 100% of our students are accepted to their preferred university destinations. They excel in highly competitive programs and succeed in their chosen fields after graduation. No matter where their university journey takes them, they carry the Trafalgar difference in their hearts.
We would love to meet your daughter.
Dr. Leanne Foster, Ph.D.
Head of School
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