A Look At A Few Toronto Private Schools
Hi there. Out of my curiosity I wanted to take a look at a few private schools in the Toronto area. Here in the province of Ontario, the public schools are funded with tax dollars. However, there are families out there who have the funds and are willing to pay top dollar by sending their kids to private schools. This post shares some of my findings on a few private schools and their fees.
I have enjoyed learning about some of these private schools and I am sure you will like some of the aggregated information here too.
Sections
- Introduction / Motivation
- TFS – Canada’s International School
- Bayview Glen Profile
- German International School Profile
- Notes
Introduction / Motivation
Growing up, I was not aware of private schools until about the age of 17. As I got older, I have heard of a few fellow university students at the time who were from private schools instead of the tax funded public schools here in Ontario, Canada. My curiousity on this matter led me to this post. I want to know the costs of private schools and what these places offer for the money.
This particular project is a bit of an aggregation of information I pulled from the Internet. I have learned a few things from doing this and I am sure that the readers here will learn a few things too.
The main source that I have used for finding private schools in the Toronto area is:
https://topprivateschools.ca/list_bycity.asp?city=Toronto
Toronto French School (TFS) – Canada’s International School
Link: https://www.tfs.ca/page
The Toronto French School (TFS) is a French immersion private school where its students master both French and English. Its curriculum includes a balance of arts, science and humanities. Students do not have to be French to enroll in TFS. (FAQ Link: https://www.tfs.ca/page/admissions/school-review-and-faq)
The school teaches the curricula of France and the province of Ontario with the framework from the IB programs. TFS aims to have their students be multilingual critical thinkers, respect differences and have their students be engaged citizens.
Fees
There is a one time registration fee of $7,000 (CAD) for the Toronto campus.
For new students from grade one to grade seven, there is a fee of $1,650 for Introductory French. The French taught is International Standard French from the French National Curriculum.
For the 2018-2019 year, the cost of tuition from grades one to eleven is $30,450 (CAD). The cost for grades 11 to 12 (age 17 to 18) is $32,980.
Payment options include a lump sum, three installments or monthly installments.
Bayview Glen Profile
Link: http://www.bayviewglen.ca/
Bayview Glen is an independent school with students from the ages of 2 to 18 (Preschool to Grade 12). The school has the philosophy of Whole Child, Whole Life, Whole World in its education. Students graduate as independent thinkers, energetic thinkers and are prepared for top universities (in Canada and globally).
The school does offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses for high school students.
Fees
There is a one time registration fee of $3000 (CAD) for all new students who are joining Bayview Glen. (This fee does not apply to age 2 or Junior Kindergarten.)
I have included the tuition fees here with a screenshot from their website.
Additional costs include textbooks and transportation costs.
Lunch meals are included with the tuition fees. Upper school students have the option to buy lunch from the cafeteria or bring lunch from home.
German International School Profile
Link: http://www.gistonline.ca
The German International School Toronto (GIST) is for students from Preschool to Grade 8 (Age 13/14). Their view on education is about building a great mind, a great character and a great heart.
GIST offers a blended curriculum from the German curriculum and the province of Ontario curriculum. The school offers a multi-lingual education in German, English and in French. Competency and fluency in multiple languages are the pathways to success.
Students' schedules follows the European model where the school day ends at a Lunch time of 1:15 PM. Parents have the choice to pick the students up at this time or have their child(s) enrolled in the after school program in the afternoon. Extended care is until 5:30 PM which is an ideal time for many parents who work 9AM - 5PM jobs in (Canada).
Fees
For the fees I am showing a screenshot of fees for Grades one to eight. There are fees for local families and higher fees if the tuition is corporate funded.
Additional fees include textbooks, school uniforms, extracurricular activities and overnight school camps.
Notes
Private school is very expensive. The costs are similar to or higher than most university tuition fees from Canadian universities.
I think that regardless how a student is taught (public, private, homeschooled), it is still up to the student to learn for him/herself. Teachers for the most part can help you learn but the student determines his/her own success.
Schools which offer language courses for early ages are worth considering whether it is public, private. The early ages are a good time for young students to learn languages and form good habits. (The French language is an in demand language in Canada.)
Private schools generally have an application process with interviews. These applications are reviewed.