Top Canadian Boarding Schools

Canada has had a long history of residential schools in their educational system. Over the years, the purpose of residential schools have changed, and so has the policies that are involved in running them. Today, there are hundreds of boarding schools all over Canada, and because people are becoming more aware of individualized needs of students, there are are also several kinds of residential schools to serve different needs.

There are classic boarding schools which are rather like mainstream schools, except that the quality of education is more exemplary, and the students reside in the school with the staff. There are therapeutic boarding schools which provide therapy together with the academic programs. There are specialist schools which focus on one particular subject matter like math, science, or the performing arts. Ther are residential educational programs which are geared towards providing a safe environment for at-risk students to recover and learn.

Here is a short list of some of the top Canadian boarding schools in the country:

1. Albert College - One of the oldest traditional co-educational boarding school in Canada located in Belleville, Ontario. It's a preparatory school which handles students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. The school also accepts day students along with residential students. The maximum number of enrollees is just 225 at a time (125 residential and 100 non-residential students), ensuring that each child is given individualized care and attention.

2. Appleby College - A coeducational traditional boarding school for students grades 7 to 12. The school has an average class size of between 12 to 16 per class, which is made up of both boarders and day students. The class sizes are kept small in order to maintain a high quality of learning experience while at the same time delivering personalized attention to each student.

3. Brentwood College School - A coeducational specialist school for grades 9 to 12 with a special focus on different sports programs. This school has a very good track record for students getting high marks on Advance Placement courses.

4. Halifax Christian Academy - A Coeducational christian boarding school which accepts both boarding and day school students. The average class size is usually 18. As a faith-based traditional boarding school, Halifax aims to deliver their academic curriculum from a biblical perspective. The pursuit to academic excellence goes together with aiming to maximize each student's God-given potential.

5. Pinehurst School - A coeducational school for grades 7 to 12 primarily for troubled teens or teens with special needs. The average class size is 6 to 10, which allows each student to benefit from a curriculum structured to help them achieve their fullest potential. Pinehurst school aims to help students who are not thriving in traditional public schools to become better adjusted individuals through a challenging outdoor program.

6. Toronto Waldorf School - Founded in 1968, the Toronto Waldorf school accepts students from nursery to Grade 12. It's a coeducational boarding school with an average class size of between 10 to 25. Waldorf schools have been around, even in other countries. For over 90 years, they have provided quality education and focused on improving the confidence and creativity of all students improved in the program.

Finding the right school for your child really depends on what your child's needs are and which school would best respond to those needs.  
 
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