Gain exclusive insight into life at WillowWood School 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 WillowWood School
By any measure, there’s a lot to love about WillowWood. The work of the school is dedicated to supporting learners who, for a range of reasons, need something different, and who, for whatever reason, aren’t adequately supported in other academic environments. Their personal needs are assessed, as are their strengths and interests, and instruction begins from that point, seeking to build on their abilities in order to grow engaged learners equipped with the confidence and the skills to establish a place in the community of the school and beyond.
Video reviews
Get crucial behind-the-scenes information about WillowWood School from video interviews with probing questions that we recorded live with parents, current students, and recent alumni.
Watch our WillowWood School Q&A discussion with Adam (Alum), Julia (Parent), Ayeh (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 WillowWood School with reviews we’ve structured to highlight only the most valuable insights and opinions submitted by parents, students, and alumni.
My son was in another private school for a few years and also spend some time at a public schoo...
The school leadership is great. There has never been a situation when we needed help or went to the principals regarding challenges or issues and they didn't handle it with grace and an extreme sense of responsibility. The who...
My son always had wonderful teachers at WillowWood starting from grade 3 all the way to grade 12. He loves asking questions and the teachers always welcome the challenge. Support is also available if he needs it. The teachers ...
There are several strong academic points to mention. One of the definite academic strengths of WillowWood school is the Pod program for the Lower and Middle school students. kids can navigate different subjects at their own pa...
There are plenty of extracurricular programs available for kids to choose from. I can't name all of them but during our years at WillowWood my son has enjoyed participating in various activities including (but not limited to):...
WillowWood feels like a big caring family and it sure has a positive spirit. classrooms are large and bright but the number of students are kept to a reasonable ratio which has been one of the reasons my son has always been mo...
My son was in another private school during JK, SK, G1, G2 and we switched him to public school at the beginning of G3. He hated going to school during all those years and his experience at G3 was so bad that we had to pull hi...
The sense of community is super strong at WilloWood. The parent council is always welcoming and encouraging parents to get involved and it is a great way to be part of the planning or just be informed about what is happening a...
The school is located within walking distance of several plazas with plenty of food options available. Starting in Grade 7 (I think! or maybe earlier. I don't remember), students are allowed to walk out of the school for lunch...
Our daughter came to WillowWood in Grade 9 after attending Toronto public schools since kinderg...
Our experience has been that the school administration at WillowWood has a strong, positive and proactive role in dealing with issues that come up and helping students deal with conflicts that arise. Our daughter feels comf...
We are very pleased with the level of teaching support that our daughter has received while attending WillowWood. Our overall experience at WillowWood is that the teachers are deeply engaged in their teaching roles, and reg...
The academic programming at WillowWood encompasses the core programming that is required, as well as other courses that may be of interest to students. If there is a course that a student has a deep interest in, the school e...
WillowWood is a small school, which from an academic perspective, is very positive! Core extracurriculars such as basketball and volleyball are offered each year. In addition, the school tries to meet the needs and intere...
WillowWood is a small school with a positive spirit. Since starting at WillowWood in Grade 9, our daughter has continued to be involved at a much higher level than she has in the past. This year she became involved with ...
Our daughter started at WillowWood in Grade 9. It required a transition for her from being in the public school environment where she was with many of the same kids from Kindergarten to Grade 8, to a new school where she di...
What stands out for us at WillowWood is the level of connection between the school administration and both students and parents, on a regular ongoing basis. Parents will get to know school administration quickly through both ...
The school is located on Scarsdale Road. There are several schools that are located close by, on the same street. The school is close to Longos Plaza that is located at York Mills Road and Leslie. Depending on the grade...
Because we have 3 kids that have attended different private schools, we have experience with the admissions process at several private schools in Toronto. Some have been more formal than others. We found the admissions proc...
The University application process has been a very positive one. The school worked directly with our daughter to help her feel that she was managing the process. At the same time, there was detailed information to parents ...
My child was not thriving in the public school environment and needed additional help and atten...
Communication is key and the school is very good at it. Timely and quick to respond! There have been problems and the school reaches out very quickly and in detail. Arriving late to classes after lunch was not tolerated and we...
WillowWood teachers are quite knowledgeable, feedback was constructive with notes on how to improve, some topics and some subjects were quite challenging for my son but the teachers are available to address any questions in cl...
The high school academic program is the same as in public high schools. All level courses are available to choose from. Based on the child's strengths, courses are recommended by the teachers and the guidance counselor. There ...
Lots of sports, crafts, music activities were available during lunch and after school. There are also summer camps available. There is a school band and there are school sports teams. There are homework hubs 4 days a week afte...
My child was very comfortable right from the beginning at this school and has made many friends over the years. In the school, you can see that there are many international students and many local ones. The student mix is extr...
My child loves going to school at WillowWood, couldn't wait for schools to reopen after COVID. He likes the lunch options in the cafeteria, likes to play basketball, likes to discuss music and social media with his friends and...
The parent council had organized many activities we were able to participate in. We got to meet a lot of other parents at school events. Pre-COVID we were able to participate in person but during COVID, the activities were con...
The school is in a great location in North York. Children go for walks in the neighbourhood or to the plaza nearby to buy lunch. It is in a very vibrant area of North York. You can see them all go in groups to the shops, bus s...
After our initial discussions and interview with the high school Vice Principal, our child was then called in to spend a day at WillowWood in his grade before being granted admission. We got to understand the school from our ...
The college & university application process was initiated quite early and we had adequate time to make our choices. Students were encouraged all through high school to start thinking about what they wanted to do after their h...
We first enrolled our son Oscar at WillowWood School in 2015 after we saw him struggle both soc...
We have been extremely happy with all of the teachers but also the school leadership. We have had some "interesting" situations over the early years, especially with our son who was navigating socially accepted ways of acting ...
As also mentioned each year both Oscar and my wife and I have been super impressed with the quality and consistency. Especially over the past 2 years where we had to pivot to Online learning, the teachers at WillowWood ensured...
Academics is the core focus of the program at WillowWood or at least that is what we have seen with the experience of our son. We have been very pleased with how our son has developed in the area of mathematics especially. Our...
Extracurriculars really needs to be looked at in terms of pre-COVID and the last 2 years. The school offers a number of extracurricular activities, pre-COVID our son was really getting engaged in basketball and had joined the ...
What we have really loved about WillowWood is that the size of the school is large enough to enable them to provide a range of services while still maintaining smaller classrooms but overall school sizes to allow the students ...
We regularly have discussion with our son as to whether he wants to continue his education at WillowWood or try a different school. So far he has been firm at wanting to stay the course at WillowWood. He has been able to devel...
The last 2 years (COVID) has definitely had an impact in terms of the collective ability of the parents to be more involved and engaged but despite this, the school has a strong history of holding various events where we have ...
My inability to accurately answer this, or at least the second part of venturing out beyond the school grounds, likely means this is an area that the school could look at improving. Unfortunately most if not all the kids live ...
In a word, transformational. Going from really disliking school in general to really wanting to...
They really truly get kids. The leadership at WW is outstanding. They are highly skilled, always looking to improve and are humble. A great combination. They handle the small stuff quickly and effectively. Bigger issues a...
The level of engagement by the teachers at WillowWood is extraordinary. They expect a great deal of themselves as well as the students. They know their subject matter and how to get the most out of the students. Feedback is...
Post-secondary life is a continual focus at WillowWood. So much seems to be geared around getting the students prepared and really ready to go beyond the school and into the real world.
At Willowwood it is not a question i...
In our first year we were quite impressed with the nature and frequency of extracurricular activities at WillowWood. There is always something coming up. The diversity and frequency of these activities is quite appealing. T...
No question this is a small school where people get to know each other quite well. Interactions seem normal. "WillowWooders" seem to feel quite proud to distinguish themselves from others.
The feeling is more casual than ...
Our son loves going to WillowWood. The teachers, they way he's treated and what they do together all really resonates with him. Class sizes are well optimized - not too big, not too small.
There is no question we think...
With students coming from all over, there is a bit less of a sense of parent community. This may be in part be due to my inability to attend certain key events due to my work schedule. That said, the school's Parent Council is...
The school is located on a relatively quiet street along with four other private schools. There is a great deal of light industry on the street as well. While they are relatively isolated which is likely a good thing, there...
The approach to admissions was excellent. After getting a full tour of the school, looking into some classrooms and speaking with some of the teachers, we stopped, summarized, then discussed all the costs. Key fundamentals o...
My child loves WillowWood and feels very safe at the school. She describes the day to day feel...
The School Leadership has always listened and been available to help with any issues or concerns that we have had. We know that we can contact them and talk to someone very quickly to discuss things and we feel confident wit...
We are very pleased with the quality of the teachers at WillowWood. Every one of them has taken the time to get to know our child and has provided emotional and academic support at a very personal level. Each teacher has b...
The focus of the academics is based on the learning needs and styles of many differing students and uses different pods to ensure that the students are working at a level that they can achieve without feeling overwhelmed. Thi...
The variety of extracurriculars at WillowWood is amazing for such a small school. Our child excels in the arts and sports and this school has a huge array of opportunities to participate. From sports teams that compete again...
This student body is very unique and is made up of many special students. The level of talent in the arts is displayed at school events, but also the level of inclusiveness. Students are in a very safe environment to deal with...
Our child loves to go to school every day and missed it during the summer months. The school has so many special events and unique supports for students that she feels very comfortable and excited by the prospect of each sc...
The parent community is very diverse and very involved and concerned about their child(ren). The parent council offers a great opportunity to get involved but there are multiple events for parents to come to the school inclu...
The school is located in an area with a number of other private schools which means there is a lot of activity in the neighbourhood during the day. It is also close enough to restaurants, both fast food and sit down spots and...
The admissions process is very easy at WillowWood with the most important aspect being that the student is the right fit for the school. We liked the opportunity to meet and discuss our child's needs with the leadership befo...
